Neptune High Reunion
by Josielynn
Summary: AU fic answering the question, 'What would happen if Logan Echolls met Veronica Mars in college instead of when he moved to Neptune' As usual, I don't own any of the characters.
1. Chapter 1

**The Beginning**

The petite blonde gratefully steps into the foyer of the building. It must be over one hundred degrees outside. Honestly, who plans a high school reunion in California in the summer? Of course she may be feeling the heat more with her pregnancy hormones. Her husband teases her that she keeps the house as cool as the refrigerator. At seven months pregnant, she really doesn't want to be at her husband's five year high school reunion but he is excited to go. He loves San Francisco but he wants to show her the sights of his home town, Neptune. Unable to deny him this weekend, she dutifully bought a couple of dresses and got ready to meet his high school friends. Tonight she is wearing a short black halter dress that has an empire waist that attempts to hide her baby bump; well, at least doesn't showcase it. She is wearing the diamond earrings and necklace that Logan bought her for their wedding last year.

As is the case with most things, she found Logan when she wasn't looking for a relationship. She was a junior at UCLA, busy taking classes, working her job at the library and running her PI business. When he came to the help desk, she could see he hadn't been in the library enough to know where to find anything and yet he was looking for a reference book for one of the junior level courses. Immediately pegging him as guy not serious about his education, she had confidently sent him off in the right direction and then promptly put him out of her mind. It wasn't that he wasn't good looking or polite, it was she wasn't interested in him as anything other than he was someone she needed to direct and then get back to her work on the computer. Her boss had left her most of the inputting of overdue books so she needed to get that caught up during the late evening quiet time. She was focused back on her task so it took the young man a couple of attempts to get her attention. Looking up from her computer screen, she noticed his frustration and had, a little reluctantly, gone with him up the stairs to help him find the missing book. It was part of the job that she didn't like because most often, the book was right where it was supposed to be; the student looking just didn't look hard enough. In this case though, someone had taken the book, used it and then misfiled it back instead of giving it to an employee at the desk to file. His relief when she found the book was easy to see. Looking at his serious face as he flipped open the book to the chapter he wanted, she impulsively decided to help him further and asked him if he was doing the assignment for Advanced Business Marketing. He had met her gaze and she had been taken aback at how really beautiful his brown eyes were. They had little hazel flecks in them and they seemed to be so deep. The ice broken a little, he had admitted he was in the course and that normally he used the library service so the assigned readings were sent to his home at the beginning of each semester. Veronica nodded her understanding; that explained why he didn't know his way around the library. Smiling a little, she said, "Oh are you in Professor Black's class?"

Agreeing that he was, the tall. dark haired young man asked suspiciously, "How did you know that?"

Noticing, but not understanding his concern that she guessed his class, Veronica merely told him, "Professor Black is known for using this book even though it is tough to find and the library only has a few copies." Pausing she adds thinking aloud, "You know, Professor Dixon teaches that class as well. The library has a few copies of the book he wrote. It might supplement your paper."

A little more relaxed now he sees she just guessed what class he was in, Logan thinks about the idea that he could have looked at the reference list for the other professors who teach the course. It is a simple idea; one that might garner him some good references. He agrees, "That might help."

Veronica walks down the row of books and bends down to get the book out for him. Handing it to him, she nods at his thanks and then heads back to the desk to get her work done. Logan watched her leave and had been kind of impressed that she didn't try and keep talking to him. Most girls knew who he was and immediately tried to prolong their conversations by asking him a lot of questions or flirting with him. This girl did not try to get to know him and didn't offer anything about herself, she was all business.

When he checked out the two books, he thanked her for her help adding that both books would be a help writing his paper. She had looked up from typing on the computer and vaguely smiled at him as she took his books to check them out for him. After she scanned the books, she handed him back his library card along with the books and said pleasantly, "Good luck on your assignment" before she went back to typing on the computer. He looks at her as he takes the books and his card from her noting that she had to have seen his name on his library card and it didn't seem to register with her. Pleased at the success of his trip to the library, Logan heads out to his car. His professor had annoyed him by not including this book as a reference in the course syllabus so it was not included in the package the University sent him at the start of the semester. To Logan's thinking, if he expected the students to use a book for the final paper, he should have included it in the reference list. Logan had tried to buy the book on line but it was not in print and it wasn't readily available even used, so Logan found himself making a visit to the library to try and get the book. Thankfully his trip to the library was fruitful. The chick at the desk was clearly smart and she was really hot. If all the girls who work at the library are that hot, he might be missing out by bypassing it all this time. He tosses the books onto the passenger seat as he gets in the car. He needs to work a few hours tonight on his assignment before he goes to bed. He wants to stay ahead. Blessed with an excellent memory, Logan has a high GPA. He doesn't really have anyone who cares about his grades but surprisingly, he has come to want them for himself.

A few weeks later, Logan and a few of his buddies were hitting an all night restaurant just off campus on a Saturday night. Many were a little high and the mood was upbeat after leaving the concert. Logan helps his date to sit and then he sits beside her in the middle of the group of tables that has been pushed together. The waitress takes their drink order and the large, happy group peruses the menu. Logan's date thinks she will get a waffle while Logan is in the mood for a hamburger. The waitress arrives with their drinks and starts taking orders. At the other end of the table, a few of the guys start making rude comments to a group of girls passing the table on their way out. Attracted by the noise, Logan looks up and sees that the group of four girls includes the blonde from the library who looks super hot in her black and silver dress with high silver shoes! Her long hair is curly and hangs to the middle of her back. Logan immediately sees that the negative comments are directed at her. The girls throw the guys looks of distain except the blonde. As she passes her hand reaches out and she knocks over Chip Diller's full glass of ice cold beer into his lap. Unfortunately Chip was sitting close to the table so when he jumped up, he banged the table hard enough that a few other drinks fell over including the beer Dick ordered which fell onto his and his date's laps. The girls who were splashed, stand up with loud shrieks and the people sitting at the end table madly move to get out of the way of the drinks that are spilling off the table. During the commotion that followed, Veronica just calmly followed her girlfriends out of the restaurant. Logan looks at the disaster in her wake in shock.

In the aftermath of people heading to the bathroom to dry off, the waitress bringing more napkins and a busboy coming to help clean up the mess, Logan turns to the guy sitting next to him and asks, "Who were those girls?"

Jerry, with distain, tells Logan, "The blonde on the end is that PI bitch who almost got our frat shut down."

Leaning back, Logan absently listens to his date talk with one of the other girls about how it was a shame that this ruined the great night they were having. He thinks about how the hot blonde from the library is Veronica Mars. Most everyone on campus has heard of her. Her father is an FBI agent and she is taking her criminology degree. She has her PI license and she takes cases around the campus. That was how she made enemies of Dick's frat. She was looking into the rapes on campus. Suspecting that the rapist was one of the Pi Sig guys, she snuck into the Frat House and took pictures of the board outlying the points each member had obtained for bagging girls. She hoped that the rapist would have listed the girls he slept with and she could correlate the dates and the rapes. She didn't find the connection she was looking for but she did find her name on the board twice and each time the guy who said he had sex with her got over two hundred points. Unimpressed, she had gone to the Dean with her evidence and the frat had been put on probation.

She upset the frat even more by finding the two guys who lied about having sex with her. She threatened one with a taser until he admitted he lied and then she actually tased him. When she found the second guy, he had put up his hands, backed away and immediately denied he had been with her. Without much prompting from her, he admitted that he had lied about having sex with her so that he could get points in the frat game. Then he had begged her to please not tase him. She had pulled out her hidden video camera and said, "Oh I have better plans for you." Sure enough she made a video with a song about men who lie to look good to their buddies and posted it on you tube. Of course it wasn't enough for Veronica to just shame the guys who lied about banging her, she included pictures of the frat house and most of the senior board members including Dick in the popular video that went viral. The frat became a laughing stock on campus with the guy who admitted lying on the video choosing to leave college. Logan had grimaced watching it, not because it was poorly done as it was very well made but because it had over 2 million hits when he viewed it. Dick and the frat boys were being laughed at from all over the country and possibly the world.

To Logan, the amazing thing is Veronica's investigation was instrumental in helping the police catch the campus rapist. He knows there isn't an investigative gene but it does appear that Veronica Mars is taking the right degree for her. It turned out that the rapist wasn't one of the frat brothers but one of the dorm leaders. Apparently when she figured out it was him, he tried to overpower her not knowing that she is well versed in self defense and she gave as good as she got. Now, to a lot of guys on campus, she is like a tiny princess warrior with her tough attitude and her ability to kick ass. The talk on the campus was how she didn't just sit back and let the rapist hurt other women, she actively helped the police capture him and in turn, she got back at the frat on behalf of women on campus who were used without their knowledge in the annual frat game.

Logan, not part of the frat, was not upset that she got payback on the two guys who lied about having sex with her or that she got the frat put on suspension. To him, the frat guys shouldn't think they can include women in their initiation game without payback. Dick thought Veronica was a total bitch. It never occurred to Dick that because of the game, most of the students in the campus had no trouble believing the rapist was in his frat. To Dick, the game was just plain fun and people who didn't approve should just lighten up.

Logan sits back and watches how the night is ruined for Chip and Dick and he has to admit, he is actually kind of impressed at how with one quick move, she got the guys back tenfold for calling her names. Logan is not sure why he is so interested in Veronica Mars but he looks for her when he is on campus. He looked it up and the Criminology classes are on the other side of the campus to his. He doesn't see her in the main cafeteria and she doesn't appear to go to any of the frat parties or hang out in any of the popular college bars or restaurants. Curious, he has asked some of his classmates about her. Aside from the gossip of her part in catching the campus rapist and getting back at the Pi Sigs, there were stories of couples breaking up all over campus because one of them hired her to check out their partner. Interestingly, students told him stories of her helping athletes with lost playbooks, finding missing siblings, helping professors catch cheating students and she is the one who caught the group who was copying campus meal cards. He even heard a crazy story about her finding a missing monkey from one of the biology labs. Most impressive to Logan was a girl in his Entrepreneur class told him that Veronica got pictures of her ex boyfriend stalking her and gave them to the police. She didn't have any money to pay but Veronica helped her when the police couldn't seem to make him leave her alone. Veronica was the most hated girl or she was a life safer; it depended who you were talking to.

It would really bother Dick to know that Logan finally got to talk to Veronica because of his insistence that Logan attend a rave. He had not been in the mood as his father had done an interview on a very popular afternoon television talk show hosted by five women. Logan didn't watch but apparently his father was contrite at how his addiction to sex had hurt his wife and his son. He was getting counseling and he really wanted to turn his life around. Apparently asking Logan's forgiveness was one of the steps in his therapy. He looked deeply hurt as he told the world that Logan had a silent number and he didn't have it. He sadly shared that Logan had him on the do not enter list with security at his home. Looking like he might cry, he told the women that he even called some of Logan's friends and none of them would give him Logan's telephone number. Looking sadly down at his feet, he told the women that he just wanted the chance to apologize. Now Logan is in the bulls eye of the press and his refusal to talk to his father is the subject of many commentaries by newscasters all over the country. In addition, his classmates, fellow students and acquaintances felt the need to weigh in on the issue under the guise of worrying about him.

Dick, knowing how his best friend hated being in the public eye, decided that Logan needed to get out and bust loose. He insisted that there was going to be so many people there that no one would notice him. Plus there would be lots of hot chicks and he could get lost in one and forget about his father. After arriving at the rave and getting his first drink, Logan sat with a few of the frat guys. The music was good and Logan began to relax. It was really too loud to talk so most of the people there would not be able to talk to him. Looking around the dance floor, he saw Veronica Mars. Man she looked hot in her tight black skirt and red off the shoulder top. She was with the girls he saw her with in the restaurant and few guys from the college baseball team.

As he watched, he noticed that she was subtly watching a tall, black man who was clearly partying with his friends. She appeared to be dancing and having fun but she was turning to keep the man in her view. When she went to her table to sit down, she sat keeping the man in her sight. Logan only noticed because he is well versed in spotting reporters and people who are stalking him because they want to meet the son of the infamous Aaron and Lynn Echolls. She was really very good at surveillance. If you just looked at her, she appeared to be into dancing and drinking. As Logan watched, she was drinking a dark drink that he is guessing is plain soda. She is laughing and flirting but Logan can see she is working. She does not appear to be at the rave with any one guy. She just appears to be free and having fun.

The group he is with doesn't notice his preoccupation with the blonde PI and Dick is pleased that Logan seems to be relaxing and drinking. There are a lot of hot girls at their table and most of them would go home with Logan if he asked. Logan has been dancing and he is giving the girls at his table enough attention that they are hopeful they will get to go out with him.

Near midnight, the guy Veronica is watching gets a lot more friendly with one girl. Logan watching can see that Veronica wants to get closer to get a better picture but the guy she is dancing with is quite drunk and is not getting the message that she wants to move across the dance floor.

Impulsively, Logan gets up and goes over to help her. He is not sure why he wants to. He doesn't know her and most of his buddies dislike her but there is something about her that interests him and he hasn't been truly interested in a girl for a very long time. When he gets near, he steps close and pitches his voice to be heard over the loud music, "There you are Veronica. You promised me a dance."

She stiffens a little as he leans down and pretends to hug her, whispering in her ear, "I'll help you get the money shot." He pulls back just enough to meet her gaze and adds, "He is fooling around like he is single. Maybe he should be single."

Her quick mind processes his offer and weighs it against her need to get a picture of Derek Henderson fooling around on his pregnant girlfriend. Her parents do not like how he treats their daughter and now are worried about him hurting her when she is pregnant. Tonight Derek is supposed to be attending a mandatory team dinner and meeting. Instead he is at a rave and will probably text his girlfriend making some excuse why he won't be able to see her until tomorrow. For some reason Logan Echolls has spotted that she is following Derek and is willing to help her. She needs to talk to him and find out what he knows and she needs to get that picture. Dancing with him will get her both so decision made, she smiles up at him and for all appearances, greets him happily, "You made it!" She turns to her partner and says seemingly regretfully, "Jeremy, I promised this dance to Logan. I think Wanda is looking for you." Jeremy looks over at his girlfriend and drunkenly heads over to her. Veronica turns and faces Logan after he leaves and asks in a demanding tone, "How did you know I was working a case and why are you helping me?"

Pointing to himself Logan says, "Son of two movie stars, familiar with surveillance." He adds, "Although you are very good." She looks at him weighing his answer. Logan puts out his hand for hers and answers, "Shall we dance?" As she hesitates, Logan asks, "Where is your camera anyways?"

A small smile goes over her face and she admits, "In my necklace."

He looks down at the silver pendant and says, "So that is why you were always turning to face him." He reaches down to take her hand and gently pulls her over to a less crowded area that happens to be closer to her target. Once they are in an open area, Logan turns to face Veronica and they start to dance. The music is loud so while they are dancing, they can't really talk without raising their voices.

Logan enjoys dancing with Veronica. She can really move to the loud, pounding music. While he watches her dance, he carefully makes sure that Veronica has ample opportunity to take clear, close pictures of the man she has been following. He sees her smile of satisfaction after she touches her necklace and he smiles. She looks at Logan and sees his smile and looks at him with more interest. She doesn't know how he knows who she is. She does however know that he is friends with Dick Casablancas and some of the other Pi Sig idiots who still call her names every time they see her. A little suspicious of his interest in her, she tilts her head a little as she studies him.

He sees her suspicious look and fortuitously the music ends and a slow song starts. Without hesitation, Logan steps in and pulls Veronica into his arms. He moves to the music and is relieved when she follows his lead. Slowly he moves her so they are close to the guy Veronica is taking pictures of. He and the girl are heavily making out on the dance floor. Logan can see that soon they will find some place to go that is a little more private. In the meantime, he likes how Veronica fits into his arms. She is so tiny that the top of her head is barely up to his chin. She smells musky like her perfume has worn off from all her dancing and it is just a warm smell of her. Her skin is so soft where he rubs her lower back as they move together.

Near the end of the dance, Derek Henderson wraps his arm around the beauty he is dancing with and they walk off the floor together. Veronica feels Logan gently pulling her to the edge of the dance floor. She stand on her tip toes and peeks over Logan's shoulder to see where the couple is going. Obligingly, Logan turns a little so the tiny PI can see easier. After Derek leaves the hall, Logan takes her hand and pulls her towards the hallway to follow him. Unsure about following him out of the lighted dance floor, Veronica hesitates. Logan leans in and reassures, "You are safe with me. I don't do the public make outs. I have been in the press enough. Looking at him closely she sees he is being open with her. Nodding her agreement, she follows him as he leads them to the exit hallway. They tentatively go down the darker hallway after the couple. When they get to the end of the hall, it turns and goes to the left. Peeking around the corner, they see Derek and the girl having sex.

Quickly assessing that this Derek will see them if they go around the corner, Logan pulls her back and turns her back into the wall. He reaches up, undoes her necklace and palms it. He puts his hand up above her and slides it to the edge of the wall that turns around the corner. He lets his fingers open and takes a few shots of the dark corner. With his other arm, he pulls Veronica firmly into his arms, leans down and kisses her. Never let it be said that he can't multitask.

After Veronica's eyes adjust to the darker foyer, she wanders up to the line at the registration table figuring she will get her and Logan their name tags and register them for the dinner and dance tomorrow night while he is parking their car. When she gets to the front of the line the blonde sitting behind the table looks at her and says abruptly, "I don't know you." Before Veronica can explain that she wasn't a student there, the woman whose name is Madison on her name tag waves her over towards the brunette with thicker glasses who is sitting farther down the table and says dismissively, "You can get your name tag down there."

A little taken aback at the rudeness of the girl who is supposed to be greeting guests, Veronica walks over and gets in line at the other end of the table. A few minutes later the door opens and Logan walks in. As his eyes adjust to the dark, Madison shrieks and jumps up. She runs over to greet him and almost throws herself into his arms. Logan quickly extricates himself from the girl and says, "Madison, good to see you."

She flirts, "You look even more handsome than you did in high school."

Logan gives her a bland smile and thanks her. He looks around and sees his wife standing in the other line. Madison, meanwhile takes his arm and tells him as she walks him towards her table, "I can get you your name tag right here."

Waving over at the other table, Logan tells her, "I think Ronnie is already getting my name tag."

Confused, Madison asks, "Ronnie?"

Smirking, Logan calls out, "Ronnie, there someone I want you to meet."

Veronica leaves her spot in line and walks over to formally meet Madison. As she walks over, Veronica notices that Madison is looking at her with annoyance. Logan puts his arm around his wife , turns her towards Madison does the introductions, "Maddy, I want you to meet my wife Veronica. Ronnie, this is Madison Sinclair. We went to school together since I moved to Neptune when I was twelve."

"Your wife," she almost screeches, "I hadn't heard you were married."

Looking at her, Logan merely shares, "A year and a half now." Veronica notes Madison's shock and wonders why she would be upset about Logan getting married. She also notices that everyone in the foyer is paying attention to their conversation.

Nodding at the blonde, Veronica says politely, but clearly lying, "Nice to meet you."

The line in front of the brunette at the desk has opened so Veronica quickly takes her husband's hand. She says, "Oh good. Let's get our name tags while the line is short." She pulls Logan over to the desk where the brunette is sitting waiting.

Logan looks at Veronica wondering why they can't get their tags from Madison but he obediently follows her as he points out, "Madison can probably hook us up."

Veronica waves at the bitchy blonde and says loudly enough for her to hear, "Neptune Mean Girl over there, sent me to this line."

Smiling at her obvious dig at Madison, Logan says, "OK then."

A little embarrassed at how Logan's wife talked about her and how Logan is amused at what his wife called her, Madison flounces over and sits down. Ignoring Madison and her upset, Veronica steps up to the table, looks at the name tag on the girl sitting there and says pleasantly, "Hi Mandy. Can you check us in please?"

Mandy smiles a little and tells them as she pulls out her copy of the guest list, "Sure. Welcome to the reunion." She pulls the blank name tags to her and writes Logan Echolls on one. She looks at Veronica and asks, "What name would like me to put on your tag?"

Logan takes his tag and answers, "Veronica Echolls."

He and Veronica dutifully listen to Mandy's spiel about the cash bar and appetizers. She gives them the information on the dinner and dance the next night and then asks pleasantly, "When are you due?"

Smiling happily, Logan blandly tells her, "We are due in September. What have you been up to since high school Mandy?"

She looks thrilled to have Logan Echolls talking to her and excitedly tells them that she is now a nurse and works at Neptune General. She is dating another nurse and he will be there tomorrow.

Logan takes Veronica's hand and says, "Well we will let you do your work and head on in."

Walking slowly to keep his pace to her short legged, pregnant, high heeled pace, Logan puts out his arm and lets her take it as they walk across the gym towards the table. Leaning in he says, "You weren't wrong about Madison. She was one of the mean girls in high school."

Frowning at him she says, "Please tell me you didn't date her."

"Well," he admits, "I never dated her but we did hook up once in Aspen. I was really drunk and didn't remember it afterwards though."

Shaking her head in mild disgust, the tiny blonde comments, "Young guys are so hormonal! You will sleep with anyone!"

Logan laughs at her comment and teases, "Most guys are like that." When she looks up at him a little annoyed, he adds, "Well except the reformed bad boys who are lucky enough to find the woman of their dreams." Touched, she puts her hand over her expanded abdomen as their son kicks her. He puts his hand over hers and shares, "I don't even think about anyone else but you. This is my dream."

She sighs as she looks up at the excitement in his wonderful brown eyes. He has been able to make her feel so beautiful and desired. He is crazy excited about becoming a father. She doesn't know if she could even imagine a more wonderful man. "You know, I am surprised that you were ready to settle down so young. You dated one girl for more than three years. Didn't you kind of miss out on sowing your wild oats?"

Leaning in to kiss her temple, he points out, "Well as a Hollywood brat, I started young plus Lilly and I probably had as many off periods as we had on periods so I had plenty of free time to explore my options."

Tilting her head at him, she points out more genuinely annoyed, "Isn't it bad form to talk about other women to your wife?"

Meeting her gaze openly, he tells her, "That's the great thing about us. You know my stupid periods and I know your stupid periods. We like each other anyways."

More relaxed, she agrees, "That we do, although I am not sure I want to spend the weekend hearing about your stupid period."

Sighing he admits, "Well you will probably hear more than I really want you to. High school was not a good time for me and I didn't cope in a effective way."

She squeezes his arm in understanding. He has told her about his relationship with his father, his mother committing suicide and the 'jack ass' period in his life. Her face is open and loving as she tells him, "Well you are impressing me now."

His face softens as he looks at her. She is the best thing to ever happen to him and sometimes he still looks at her amazed that she loves him. He leans down and gently kisses her and then guides her over to an empty table. Pulling out a chair for her to sit, he offers, "Can I get you a lemon water?"

Nodding she says, "That sounds good." Looking around the gymnasium, Veronica sees it is really like most gyms around the country. Basketball court, bleachers that roll up, locker rooms for girls and guys at each end and of course, the Go Pirates sign painted on the wall. As she absently watches her husband walk over to the makeshift bar, she sees that a lot of people stop him to talk. From their talks she knows that he was popular in the school because of his parents. When he asked her out, she naturally checked him out. It was like reading a trashy novel or watching a soap opera; famous actor parents, father who is a philanderer with a video collection of the women he had sex with in the pool house of his home, mother who drank and then subsequently killed herself, self absorbed sister, long time billionaire girlfriend who fooled around on him repeatedly and also slept with his father. When the videos from the pool house were leaked, it was a huge scandal as most of Logan's classmates that slept with his father were underage at the time it occurred. Lilly Kane, now a famous actress, had no trouble facing the press. She did many interviews where she compared the father-son Echolls team sexually having slept with both of them. Veronica had been increasingly horrified reading the articles. She honestly wondered how Logan held himself together through the storm of that time without falling into drugs or depression. Then after she got to know him and found out about the physical and emotional abuse, she was even more impressed that he was not only coping but able to be so caring and loving.

Logan has many happy memories of being part of the Fab 4, as they were called by their classmates. The group included the children of billionaire software mogul Jake Kane, Lilly and Duncan Kane. The final member of the group is Lilly's best friend and Duncan's girlfriend Meg Manning. Meg and Duncan went to a college on the east coast so Logan only sees them during holidays. Meg and Duncan are busy planning their wedding in six months. Logan, of course, will be one of six groomsmen standing up for Duncan. It is going to be the wedding of the year with everyone who is anyone being invited. Veronica only met Duncan Kane and Meg Manning at her wedding. Although Logan talked to them frequently, she hadn't had the chance to meet them. Veronica had gone home to see her father during the holidays the first year they dated so it wasn't until their wedding that Veronica was going to be able to meet who Logan considered to be two of his best friends. Logan was a little shocked to discover that Veronica wasn't anxious to meet them and didn't really have any desire to hang out with them. Veronica felt like Duncan Kane and Meg Manning knew about his abuse and did nothing; she can't excuse that. Logan explained that they did support him, hiding him from his father when he was in town and helping to deflect his father's upset when they were there. To Veronica, that was not enough as Logan could have been killed by his father. Logan chose Dick Casablancas as his best man for their small, private wedding. Logan claims that he never talked to Dick about his abuse and he wasn't privy to seeing his injuries. He didn't become really close to Dick until after high school. Despite their rocky start, Veronica and Dick have learned to tolerate each other.

Looking around at the crowd of people milling around the gym, she thinks about the rave where she and Logan first kissed. The kiss had been amazing. She hadn't been expecting it but once his lips touched hers, she had felt her heart skip in her chest and her breath had caught. It must have made her lightheaded because she had forgotten where she was and that she was working. She slid her hands up his chest enjoying how toned he was and then wrapped them around his shoulders while at the same time, opened her lips to his and participated fully in the kiss. When their lips parted, she leaned up to kiss him again. All she knew was that she really wanted to be closer to him. A loud noise from the dance had broken their lips apart. Veronica opened her eyes and looked up at him. His hazel eyes had darkened in color and he had a shocked look on his face. She wasn't sure what she looked like but she felt really confused. She shouldn't have been surprised; of course Logan can kiss. She has heard stories of all the girls he dated past and present so she shouldn't be surprised that he is a smooth operator. Not that she knew what that was anyways. She only dated a few guys even semi seriously; always so wound up in her education and career. No what surprised Veronica is her reaction to Logan's kiss. She has never been that affected by just a kiss.

She was aware enough to walk with Logan as he moved them from the dark hallway so they wouldn't be discovered by Derek when he come back. Back on the dance floor, Logan had cleared his throat as he looks down at the beautiful petite blonde, he holds out the necklace saying unnecessarily, "Here is your camera." Taking it she doesn't meet his gaze, instead looking at her necklace as she thanks him. Logan is really unsure what to say to Veronica. He definitely wants to see her again, go out on a date but he is really unsure how to even ask her. After an uncomfortable pause, Logan said, "Veronica, can we go out? I want to see you again." When she looks at him in question, he adds, "A date, a movie, dinner, whatever you want."

She liked being kissed by him but the problem was he is a known playboy who can and does have any girl he wants. She does not want to be another in a long line of conquests for Logan Echolls. The other issue is he is close friends of Dick Casablancas and the Pi Sig frat who she has an adversarial relationship with at best. She can't help it, she looks at him suspiciously. She upset the frat and now a guy who is an honorary member of the frat and best friends with one of the ranking frat brothers, is asking her out. He waits for her answer and she finally tells him, "Haven't you heard? I am public enemy number one with the Pi Sigs."

Quick to see that she is not adverse to seeing him but is a little concerned that he is part of some payback scheme, he reaches up and gently moves a few strands of her loose hair away from her face. Gently he tucks them behind her ear and tells her, "I am friends with Dick but I am not part of the frat. The truth is, I am interested in getting to know you." Bending a little to meet her gaze he adds winningly, "We can pick somewhere public." When he sees her hesitate, he tells her openly, "Veronica Mars, I think the point of dating is to get to know the other person. No one is the person that they let the public see." Looking at him, she sees only sincerity and hope. The man is an amazing kisser and he has those soulful deep eyes that make you want to make him happy. But this Veronica knows how to avoid unnecessary conflict. She doesn't want to buy trouble and Logan Echolls is trouble with a capital T. Besides, she is not the type of girl that can attract a guy like him and it would be best if they just don't even start anything.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - Dating LoVe**

When Logan comes back with their drinks, he is walking with three other men. After putting down his beer and her water, he introduces her to his old classmates. They are all interested in seeing Logan's wife. Of course she is blonde, hot and to their surprise, very pregnant. After they have settled and they update each other on what they have been doing since graduation, Luke admits, "I guess none of us knew you have been married over a year. We all thought that you got pregnant and then married." He looks over and notices Veronica's frown and backs off stating, "I just meant that you kept the wedding out of the press."

Veronica sweetly asks, "So you didn't think I trapped Logan into marrying me?"

Laughing at his friend's nonplussed look at Veronica's question, Logan interjects easily, "It took me a while to get Veronica to agree to be engaged and then to persuade her to get married. Knocking her up might have speeded up the process." She turns an 'are you for real' look on her husband and the group laughs at how Logan will say anything without a shred of embarrassment. Shrugging at her, he says, "The guys just can't believe that a woman as wonderful as you settled for me."

The men all laugh at Logan's answer and begin to tease him about being tamed and neutered. Sighing at the boy talk, she reaches for her glass and takes a sip of her water. After an hour, their table and the tables around them are filled with people who knew Logan in high school. Veronica, sitting next to Logan listens to stories of situations that happened in high school. Most of their stories involved surfing, concerts trips to LA, trips to Tijuana, and parties; lots and lots of parties. She manages to get away for a few minutes when she goes to the bathroom. Not really wanting to subject herself to listening to more stories about Logan's conquests while he and Lilly were broken up, stories of him and Lilly fighting and hooking up or even worse, stories about the reckless things Lilly and Logan tried, Veronica lingers in the bathroom and strikes up a conversation with a girl who is pregnant. They have a nice talk comparing their pregnancies and their feelings about the whole process. Veronica finds Georgina easy to talk to and interesting. Unable to put off going back to the table where her husband is sitting, Veronica excuses herself and goes to the bar to get she and Logan another drink. As she walks, she notices the looks she is getting. It is more than the regular 'who is she?' looks; they are looking at her because she is married to Logan Echolls. She knew that this was going to be an uncomfortable weekend for her but right now she wishes she could go and sit with Georgia for the rest of the evening.

When she gets back to the table, Logan stands and helps her to sit and quietly says, "I was wondering if I was going to have to look for you." Shaking her head, she merely tells him that their son is kicking her bladder. He gives her a look like he knows she was avoiding coming back to the table but fortunately Duncan and Meg chose that moment to arrive. They were greeted like the King and Queen of the class. Shortly after their arrival, Madison went on the stage and addressed the group. She seemed to like to hear herself talk because she took fifteen minutes to welcome everyone, explain that more of the class was scheduled to arrive the following day and then talk about the activities scheduled during the reunion weekend.

As she listens, Veronica thinks about how everyone talked about the Fab 4. She had already heard a number of stories from Logan about belonging to the Fab 4 and how they were his unofficial family in middle and high school after he moved to Neptune. She understood how a young man with an abusive father and alcoholic mother could find family in his friends. She was glad he did and is happy for him that he is still close to Duncan and Meg.

Logan listens to the group and enjoys hearing what they have been doing since high school and some of the stories from high school. There was much laughter and it is almost like they haven't been apart. Many were asking if Lilly was coming and Veronica noticed they were asking Logan. They were all assuming that she was in contact with Logan. Veronica was surprised when Madison told everyone that Lilly has RSVP'd she would be at the dinner and dance tomorrow mostly because she was not in their graduation class. In addition, Veronica was not thrilled to see that people expected Logan and Lilly to hook up during the reunion if they weren't already hooking up. She is not sure if they think she is too stupid to know or she knows and is OK with it because Logan is rich. Veronica quickly had enough of listening to Logan's group of high school friends. Logan, sensing his volatile wife's annoyance, smoothly got up and assisted Veronica to stand while he told the group that he wanted to show Veronica around the school.

As they walked towards the doors of the gymnasium, Logan politely said hello to the people who said hello to him but Veronica could tell he didn't know who most of them were. She was getting a picture of her husband from high school that made her really sad. Logan hid his real self from most everyone. He hung out with a rich crowd, ignored anyone who wasn't rich and most of the group he hung out with knew Lilly was fooling around on him and said nothing to him.

She feels sad that Logan never had any adult who really cared about him and put his needs first. Veronica learned about victims of abuse in her classes. She is quite sure that many of Aaron's friends had to know about his abuse of Lynn and Logan and did nothing. Many of them were wealthy and powerful enough to have stopped the abuse. Veronica also believes that Aaron Echolls' friends knew he was fooling around on Lynn but said nothing. The only way their support of Aaron stopped was when it went public that he was having sex with underage girls. They couldn't cover that up for him so they had to distance themselves from him.

Consequently she had strongly resisted Jake Kane being invited to their wedding. Logan had been surprised at the extent of Veronica's anger towards Jake Kane. She had been cool but very polite to Duncan and Meg, but she was openly hostile about Jake and Celeste Kane. Logan felt that Jake Kane was a second father to him. He wished he had a father like him and had many fond memories from the time he spent at the Kane home. Veronica, deeply annoyed, told Logan that he needs to learn to expect more from family. Her exact words were, "Jake Kane is not a father figure to you. He is the uncaring asshole who saw your pain the days after a beating and ignored it because being around your father somehow benefitted him." She had not backed down from her refusal to have Jake and Celeste Kane at the wedding. As far as she was concerned, they did not deserve to be at a family celebration and Jake Kane was not going to be allowed to keep up the illusion that he cared about Logan and was part of his family. Logan had been so deeply affected by Veronica anger. She was genuinely upset that no one helped him. She had been insistent that he deserved more and that the adults who knew and did nothing were to blame. Meeting Logan's gaze, she seriously told him, "If he shows up, I will have him thrown out."

Seeing her steely gaze, Logan had not known what to say or feel. He had had never had anyone put him first that way; never had anyone who believed he deserved more and was angry that his friends and the adults in his life didn't stand up for him. He knows that she doesn't see her support as anything other than what should be done for the person you love but what she doesn't understand is that for the first time in his life, he is not alone; he has someone who is there for him.

She listens attentively as he shows her around the school and talks about some of the classes he had and things he did. Looking around she sees that Logan was not involved in any school activities. He wasn't in any clubs, sport teams or any group activities. He showed most of the signs of an abused child; non-involvement, frequent absences and acting out. The teachers and staff of this school must have either been idiots or blinded by the wealth and power of Aaron Echolls.

In tune to her moods, he stops her just before they go back into the gym. Gently he turns her back to the wall once they are alone. Looking down into her beautiful face, he apologizes that the group would talk about he and Lilly with her sitting there. He is hoping she is not upset or hurt by what was said. Frowning up at him she tells him she is not impressed that they would talk about their sexual exploits right in front of her. She adds, "They expect you to hook up with her his weekend and your marriage or my pregnancy would not be a deterrent to you." Before he can decide what to say, she surprises him by waving off whatever he was going to say and continuing indignantly, "Do they even know you at all? You didn't fool around on Lilly so why would they just talk about you like you are the kind of guy who would fool around on his wife?" Shocked, Logan looks at her and sees that she is upset on his behalf. She can't believe that his friends don't know him, don't know the kind of man he is. Veronica continues with her rant, "Lilly humiliated you when you were dating by openly fooling around on you and then she actually had the nerve to compare you and your father on television and in her freaking tell all book. Why would they think you have anything to do with her? You are not a teenager anymore and I don't know why they would assume you still act like you are sixteen."

Leaning closer, he says, "You know I love you so much, don't you?"

Smiling at him, she nods and answers, "I do and I hope you know I love you too."

Nodding he leans in and kisses her letting it deepen a little. Pulling back he looks into the eyes that are so open and loving with him. He tells her, "Most of them grew up with wealthy parents that fooled around on their spouses; it's what they know."

Tilting her head a little she asks, "Does Duncan fool around on Meg?"

Sighing audibly, Logan tells his wife, "Not that I know of but I hear from the guys he does." After a short pause he adds, "I think he doesn't talk about it with me because he knows I will not approve."

Curious, Veronica asks, "If you did know, would you tell Meg?"

Putting his hands on her shoulders, he gently rubs as he answers, "I would want to. Meg is my friend too." Meeting Veronica's interested gaze, he explains, "I honestly don't think she would want to know."

Veronica's eyes widen for a few seconds and then she gently shakes her head. She and Meg are not close mostly because they are so different. Meg likes her world to be perfect and easy; she doesn't like to deal with problems. If she knew her fiancé was fooling around on her, she would probably pretend she didn't know and keep planning the perfect wedding between her and her prince. She will have a huge, puffy dress and wear a tiara when she walks up the aisle. She will be a princess for a day.

Logan puts his forehead to hers and says, "I know you have problems with DK and Meg and their knowledge of my abuse. Trust me, them telling anyone wouldn't have changed anything. I was in the hospital multiple times. My dad was always able to explain away what happened. One of my nannies did report the abuse. She ended up fired and nothing happened to my father." He adds quietly, "There is a different set of standards for the wealthy."

He pauses and she meets his gaze and admits, "I know you felt powerless against him Logan. I understand that he threatened and bought his way out of anytime someone suspected, but there is always a way. I don't understand how they could know and do nothing."

His voice softens as he agrees, "No, you wouldn't understand doing nothing."

Looking up at him, she wryly agrees, "I really do understand that sometimes the justice system doesn't work and although I don't believe in taking the law into my own hands, I have learned that sometimes you have to work creatively to help the situation."

Reaching up, he gently caresses her cheek and mildly says, "I think profiling is a good place for you. You are driven, intuitive and you accept that there is a dark side to everyone. I know there will be a lot of disappointments but each time you take a criminal and put them away from the public, it's a victory." Pausing he adds, "I couldn't stand if anything happened to you so I am selfishly glad that you won't be the agent going after the criminals though." He puts his hand down and rubs her baby bump excited as always to feel their son move.

He has the life he dreamed of but never really thought was possible for a fucked up guy like him. When he was in high school, he imagined he would marry Lilly Kane someday. She would fool around on him, he would fool around on her and they would both probably become alcoholics. He didn't believe anyone could ever love him enough to put him first so he just learned not to expect it; then he wouldn't be disappointed. His father never wanted him, his mother wouldn't or couldn't protect him, his sister doesn't care about anyone but herself and the girl he thought he loved didn't believe he was enough for her. Then he got to know Veronica. She shows him every day that he is important to her in the big ways and in all the little ways that he has grown to really appreciate. The truth is, once he realized what was possible, he embraced his future and started pushing her to get engaged, then married and then start their family. He knows at times, she thinks he is rushing their future but she doesn't understand how profoundly excited he is about each day with her and he doesn't expect her to understand; in fact, he is glad that she can't understand how deeply thrilled he is. Leaning in, he gently kisses her and says, "I know you don't understand this weekend Veronica but I am not here just to reconnect with acquaintances and to see what everyone is doing now. I want to put my past to rest before David Keith is born. I want to drive around the city and see that it is just a city and it doesn't have a hold on me anymore. I want to go to the cemetery and talk to my mother about you. I want her to meet you and David. I want to show her that I got away from the life she couldn't get away from. I want her to know that I am a good husband and that I am going to be a good father to our children." Bending his knees a little to look into her eyes he admits, "I want to show everyone that I am not just the rich jackass who was reckless, selfish and thoughtless. I am more."

Her face softens even more as she reaches her other hand to his face to pull him closer. She says, "Well I am here beside you this weekend, but I have to say that I am not sure most of your acquaintances are smart enough to see that you have changed." He smirks and leans down to kiss her as he wraps one arm around her and the other goes to her baby bump. As always, he is affected by their kiss. It doesn't matter that he has kissed her for over two years and it doesn't matter what type of kiss it is, Logan feels deeply affected. It might sound stupid or overly romantic but Logan knew from their first kiss that Veronica was the woman for him. He has kissed a lot of girls but with Veronica he felt a stirring deep inside that he will probably never be able to explain in words. He calls it his 'emotional arousal'. He has been physically aroused by a lot of kisses with a lot of different girls but he is both physically and emotionally aroused by kissing Veronica.

Madison, Shelley and Meg round the corner and see that Logan and Veronica are kissing in the empty hallway. It is not a little peck or overly passionate; it is a kiss of connection and they are focused on each other. The distinctive clatter of their high heels on the tile floor pulls the couple apart. Logan keeps his hand on her baby bump but does turn slightly to face the women who have stopped in front of them.

In her slightly nasally tone, Madison simpers, "Logan, we were just talking about meeting for breakfast tomorrow. We are thinking of booking a private dining room at the Grande so you could just meet us downstairs."

Immediately shaking his head, he tells the women, "Sorry, Veronica and I have plans." Standing, he takes Veronica's hand and adds tilting his head towards the gym, "We'll see you in there." He and Veronica walk into the noisy gym together. Veronica smirks at Logan's way of letting Madison know she is not important to him. Madison has been very cutting at the table in her criticism of anyone she doesn't feel is worthy and her remarks about Veronica's future career in the FBI riled Logan a little.

Georgina waves to Veronica as they walk across the gym. Returning her wave, Veronica pulls Logan over to say hello. Logan, of course, recognizes the girl waving but doesn't know her name. Veronica introduces Logan to her and the girl introduces Veronica to her husband. The rest of the group at the table looks at them with interest. Logan looks at Wallace with recognition and mentions, "You played basketball didn't you?" Wallace relaxes and easily tells Logan he did play on the team. He introduces everyone at the table to Logan and Veronica. Veronica and Logan sit at two empty chairs and Veronica looks at Logan and adds, "Georgina is due in the end of August and they have already had their hospital tour."

Logan shows a little excitement as he comments, "We are taking our tour next week." Looking at Georgina, he teases, "Please tell Veronica how important music is for the baby. She rolls her eyes at me when I put the headphones around our son."

The group immediately sees Logan's excitement at becoming a father. Veronica shares, "The UPS guy is at our place every day with some other piece of equipment that Logan read is necessary to raise a child." Shaking her head, she adds, "He is out of control."

The group smiles at Veronica's obvious exasperation with Logan's need to get everything the baby might need. Logan defends, "The new mobile stimulates visual acuity and a lot of parents in the on line group recommend the Einstein DVDs." Veronica does roll her eyes and the group is amused at the byplay between the talked about couple.

Veronica looks around the table and says, "So Jordan, what do you do?" The conversation turns general and everyone tells Logan and Veronica where they work. After Mac tells Veronica that she designs software programs, she and Veronica get into a discussion on the programs she has used for her profiling internship with the FBI. Immediately interested and in her element, Mac tells Veronica that the important step for law enforcement is the inputting of data and how it is crucial for finding common denominators in crimes. She talks about how the software is set up to pick up key words but if the person inputting the data doesn't use the key words, the case is not added to the profile. She explains that the newer software gives choices instead of leaving blanks in the entry forms so that more data is able to be compared. Veronica quietly tells Mac, "This sounds like a great paper for my class on technology."

Logan, recognizing that his wife is now going to get deeply involved in shop talk, easily breaks in and rescues the table by stating, "Ronnie, I think that you should get Mac's number and you guys can talk geek stuff another time."

The table amused at Logan's teasing of his wife and Mac, takes the opportunity to talk a little more to the guy who seemed above them while they were in high school. One of the guys starts a conversation about hobbies and asks Logan if he still surfs. Happy to talk about his love of surfing, Logan tells them he still does and asks them about what they do for fun. They quickly get into a discussion about golf. While Logan talks to the rest of the table, Veronica takes Mac's number and is very excited to learn that she actually lives in Silicon Valley. She texts Mac so that Mac has her number and says, "You don't live that far from us." Logan starts to laugh when Veronica tells Mac, "You know you remind me a lot of my best friend."

Mac looks at Logan in question and he doesn't explain, merely saying, "Oh Mac, you should run now while you can."

Veronica lightly slaps his arm but she is smiling as she turns to Mac and says, "Ignore him." Looking at Mac she adds, "You know, we should have lunch soon." Logan smirks but doesn't say anything else.

After a few minutes, Logan stands and tells the group that he will see them tomorrow night. Smiling, Veronica allows Logan to assist her up and tells everyone at the table it was nice to meet them and she goes with Logan over to where the friends he knew in high school are sitting. He smiles at her and comments, "You found a tech person to talk to. Should she be afraid?"

She smirks at him and says, "She probably should." Logan wraps his arm around her waist and tells her that Wallace told him about this guy who developed exercises that help increase the coordination of babies. He says, "I'll have to look up the DVD he told me about."

Frowning, Veronica comments, "It was bad enough when you were looking things up on the internet. Now you are talking to other fathers..."

Logan just laughs and tells her the usual mantra for when she complains, "Preparation is important."

"I know," she answers with a shake of her head.

Sitting back with the group, Veronica prepares herself to listen to more stories about her husband's conquests, his volatile relationship with Lilly Kane and the places they all went on vacations from school. Logan sits next to her and wraps his arm around her, encouraging her to lean into him to relax. While he listens, he absently rubs her back and at times caresses her baby belly.

The group is really surprised at how quiet Logan has become. In high school, he and Lilly Kane were the life of the party whether they were together or not at the time. Now Logan graduated college, started an on line business, was married and expecting his first child in two months. The wild child of two actors seems to have settled down.

Veronica watches Logan interact with some of his classmates. He is really a master at saying nothing. His early history of having his pictures in the press has made him very careful what he says to anyone. He knows that people will sell his picture and story to the press. She thinks of how protective he is of her and her mind goes back to time he protected her from the basketball player who threatened her in the parking lot at UCLA. She had given the pictures she took that night to her clients. They happily paid her and she went on about her life. A couple of weeks later, she had been walking to her car when Derek and a few of his basketball teammates had surrounded her. Angry that his girlfriend had broken up with him, Derek had stepped close to her and grabbed her arm in a very tight grip. As he yelled at her, he squeezed her arm deliberately hurting her. Although Derek was tall and angry, Veronica had been more intimidated by the fact his friends were there to watch and perhaps join in. A gang type situation was very bad news for her.

Just as she had to decide how to deal with the situation, she heard a deadly calm voice, "Let go of her now," and Logan had stepped into the circle and was standing next to her." Derek's basketball buddies stepped in to intervene and Dick Casablancas and his frat brothers walked closer letting it be known that they would defend Logan. She had never been happy to see the Pi Sigs but she guesses there is a first time for everything.

Logan's posture was rigid and his eyes were black. He kept his gaze on Derek and said, "I'm not going to tell you again." Derek was hurting her so Veronica took the initiative and pinched the pressure point on his thumb like her father taught her. He immediately released her and looked at her. Really upset he would try and hurt her, she spat out, "You get off on hitting women don't you; especially pregnant ones? I am not afraid of you."

Without looking at her, Logan said, "Step back Veronica." Veronica was unsure what to do but decided to step out of the way. Logan now stepped in between her and Derek and said, "You will leave Veronica alone."

Focused on Derek and Logan, Veronica did not notice that one of Derek's teammates had walked over and she was startled when he grabbed her from behind. Instinctively, she brought her elbow up hard giving him a shot in his abdomen. She immediately turned, punched him hard in the neck to incapacitate him and it dropped him to the ground clutching his neck. A second player called her a bitch and ran at her. She put up her arms in defense and when he reached for her, she dodged his arm while batting it aside and then she used the heel of her hand to punch him hard in the face. There was a sickening crunch as she broke his nose. Blood immediately began to pour from his nose and he screamed in agony. While he was focused on his face, Veronica turned and swept his legs out from under him and he fell hard onto the cement. She then stomped on his ankle to further incapacitate him while she turned to prepare herself for the next attacker. She looked around and saw the next attacker hesitate. Quickly she pulled out her taser and pointed it at him. He stopped looking at her in shock. Putting up his hands, he backed up and bent down to help his injured friend. Veronica quickly looked around to assess the situation and she noticed Dick, Carl and Chip were each holding back a member of the basketball team and all of the men looking at her in shock. She looked around her to assess if anyone might be thinking of touching her. Those not engaged with a member of the Pi Sigs, quickly backed off seeing her brandishing her taser. Seeing she was safe, she looked over to see that Logan was having no real trouble with Derek even though he was bigger and taller.

The battle was over quickly. Derek and his teammates left after giving the requisite threats and shortly after that, the Pi Sig guys left. The Pi Sigs were not happy about defending Veronica Mars but on the other hand, they would always defend Logan and he was set on protecting the noisy, bitchy PI. Truthfully Dick did not like that a group of guys would gang up on a tiny girl. However, she proved to all of them that she is not helpless. Smirking as he watches the basketball team walk and limp away, Dick thinks that the Hearst team will be playing without three of its players tomorrow night. It will be interesting to see how they spin this to their coach and other teammates.

Alone with Logan and Dick, Veronica felt reaction setting in. She felt shaky and upset. Logan, to her surprise, had not been focused on what his friends said or his own injuries, he had been focused on making sure that she was OK. Logan had gently grasped her arm and saw where it was already bruising. Dick standing next to Logan after his frat brothers left, watched as she had come down from her adrenalin high and she was feeling the pain and the fear was allowed to come in. Looking at Logan and then Dick she said, "Thanks for helping me." She looked over at the parking lot and then back at the two guys and shared, "I guess his girlfriend told him that her parents hired me." Her voice shook a little and she took a deep breath trying to get her emotions under control.

Logan nods at Dick who takes the hint and leaves them alone. Gently wrapping his arm around her, he leads her over to a bench by the parking lot. After they sit, he softly says, "Do you need me to take you to the ER and have your wrist checked?"

She flexes it and says, "I don't think it is broken." Looking at him she sees the mark on his cheek where he took a punch. Although she couldn't focus on his fight when she was dealing with her own issues, she did see Logan take a couple of hard shots to his ribs. "Are you OK?" she asks worriedly. The danger she was in is just beginning to hit her and she starts to shake.

Concerned, Logan instinctively wraps his arms around her holding her close. His concern breaks through her tough outer facade and she leans into him. Putting her face to his broad chest, she allows herself to be comforted. He feels warm and safe. When she wraps her arms around him to hug him back, she feels his instinctive flinch and realizes he is probably hurting. Pulling away, she looks up at him her blue eyes shimmering with water and emotions. Gently he pushes her hair out of her eyes and asks, "What can I do to help you?"

Unable to hide herself from him anymore, she sighs and tells him as she pulls away to stand up, "Come on. There are some frozen bags of vegetables in our future." Logan had given her an admiring look, stood up beside her and walked with her to her dorm. This is a woman who understands physical pain and accepts that it is part of life sometimes.

Looking over at his wife, Logan sees she has tuned out the talk around the table. He leans in and whispers in her ear, "Are you OK Ronnie? Did you need to go upstairs?"

Bringing her attention back to Logan, she looks at him and smiles answering, "I'm fine. I was just thinking about the day you protected me against Derek."

"I didn't realize that you were going to beat up two of his teammates and then sick the FBI on him or I might have helped him, " he teases her quietly.

Amused, she looks at him and shares, "I felt safe with you and I knew then that you were someone I had to get to know."

Touched, he reaches up and caresses the side of her face as he shares, "Here I thought it was my obvious charms that changed your mind." Brushing a tendril of hair away from her face, he adds softly, "Whatever it was that persuaded you to give us a try, I am so grateful for it."

Softening, she agrees, "Best decision I ever made." Leaning in, he kisses her and then puts his forehead to hers. One of the guys takes his attention away but he gently wraps his arm around the back of her chair as he leans away to resume the conversation with some of his high school friends.

Later that night Logan lays in bed holding Veronica relishing the feel of her sleeping in his arms and especially the warmth of her baby belly pressing against him. He thinks about how suspicious and afraid Veronica can be. After he kissed her at the rave, he could see that she was as affected by their kiss as he was but this is girl whose head rules her heart and she was wondering if he had an ulterior motive to asking her out. Logan loves Dick and considers him a brother but at that moment he wished he did not have the association with the Pi Sigs. He could see that he wasn't going to change her mind about dating him, so he watched as she walked away wondering if he lost his chance with her and he felt regret. He couldn't force her to give him a chance; he couldn't force her to get to know him instead of the public facade.

His legendary temper showed itself a couple of weeks later when he was walking across campus and found that Derek Henderson had confronted Veronica as she walked towards the parking lot. He is so much bigger than her and would be scary enough but he brought friends to support him. Without thinking he had quickly walked over and stepped close to Veronica as she faced off with the much taller and very angry man

Something seemed to open between them after he helped to rescue her. Veronica took care of his bruises and the wall she erected between them seemed to be gone while he was there in her dorm room. She had a small fridge and she pulled out a package of frozen fruit and gently placed it over the area on his abdomen that hurt. The quiet of the room seemed to make their conversation more intimate and she quietly thanked him for helping her. He had genuinely worried about her arm insisting she put ice on it and then he was worried about her safety. She shook her head and said, "Logan, I could see that he was really going to hurt me and his buddies were going to watch." Meeting his gaze she told him, "I made my father a promise when I started my PI company that I would call him if a situation got out of hand. I will call Dad tonight and tell him what happened. He will handle it."

Logan had insisted that he walk her to her classes until the situation was resolved and she had agreed because he had given her the sincere look from his beautiful brown eyes. That evening he had taken her out to a casual dinner and he had walked her back to her dorm. The next morning he walked her to breakfast in the cafeteria and then her classes. She was the talk of the campus as the Pi Sigs saw her fight two guys and now Logan Echolls had fought to protect her. The morning after the fight, the campus was interested to see them arrive at breakfast together. Logan had accompanied her until her father called her and told her she was now safe.

Logan initially had not understood why Veronica had been sure that Derek would never bother her again. Her father lived hundreds of miles away and Logan didn't see how he could protect her but he had been wrong. Apparently her father had called his friends in the FBI office in LA and they had been protective of another agent's family. Plus Veronica was working towards her criminology degree and a future with the Bureau made her one of their own. It turned out that a visit to Derek, his coach and the dean of the college from the FBI had ensured that Derek would stay far away from Veronica Mars.

Faced with two days of getting to know Logan while he walked her to and from all her classes and accompanied her where ever she had to go, she had relented her hard stance on not dating him. She agreed to a real date but she was clearly not sure about the idea. Dick had been horrified that Logan wanted to date Veronica. When Logan asked his advice on where to take her, Dick advised him to run; run far away. When Dick calmed down, he didn't have any valuable ideas on how to impress a girl like Veronica Mars either.

Logan had finally decided to take her to a murder mystery dinner theater. When he picked her up at her dorm, he really liked that she did not get overly dressed up. Logan was used to women dressing to impress him. He is a man who knows what women do to get ready and it was clear that Veronica was not a woman who spent a lot of time on her appearance; she was more content to be comfortable and herself. Her hair was pulled back into a simple twist and she wore minimal make up. Veronica looked beautiful in a plain sapphire blue dress with a dark coat and matching dark shoes. Logan wore dress pants and a dress shirt but no tie or jacket. Veronica had been surprised and impressed that Logan selected the community theater for their first date. The dinner was short and since the theatre was small, they didn't have real privacy so there was little opportunity for private discussions. When they did talk to each other, neither strayed off regular topics. Veronica loved the whole murder mystery plot. She listened and watched carefully and was excited when she picked up clues as to who the murderer was. Logan really enjoyed watching Veronica. Her eyes sparkled and her smile was open and happy. He gave her his arm exiting the theater and she happily leaned into him teasing him that he probably wasn't used to local theater. He had enjoyed the production knowing that most of the actors were going for obvious characterizations so the audience could play detective. They had gone out for a drink after to a lounge where they could sit and listen to a jazz band. Again there wasn't much opportunity to talk but the date was effective in that there were no awkward moments and they became more comfortable with each other. The good night kiss had proven to both of them that the chemistry between them was real. Logan had reined his reaction to her in and had been patient. He instinctively knew that she was going to be important to him and he wanted to get to know her and see what they could be. He left her at her dorm, very content that they were going to meet for lunch the next day. His patience had been worth it. Veronica was very busy working her two jobs and keeping her grades up. Logan could not see her often but he was able to find times they could meet for breakfast, lunch or dinner. He found time to accompany her on some stake outs or help her with some of her cases. Logan had quietly and slowly earned her trust and having Veronica Mars trust him was worth everything to him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Dinner and Dance**

The next morning Logan gets out of the expensive bed and orders room service. He and Veronica are staying at the Neptune Grande and he is really happy that they came to his reunion. It is nice to get away for a weekend. It won't be long until alone couple time is difficult to come by. He is totally thrilled about their son coming in two months but quiet time with Veronica; talking and touching is priceless to him.

After breakfast they head out to the Neptune Cemetery. Veronica gives Logan time alone with his mother. She sits on a bench far enough away that she can't hear what Logan is telling his mother but she is there if he needs her. They brought some beautiful roses for her vase and Logan has been emotional since they drove into the cemetery.

Veronica looks at the ornate headstone and fence surrounding Lynn Echolls' grave. There are a few bouquets of flowers that Veronica assumes are from fans who visit the grave site. Her mind wanders to her own mother who left her without warning or explanation when she was twelve years old. Her father had quit field work as soon as he could and he took a desk job so he could be there for her. On the rare occasions he had to leave town, she stayed with one of her father's coworkers and his wife. She had always worried that something would happen to her father and she would be alone. Older now, she understands that her father refused career advancements because he put her first. She is so grateful to him for being a loving, caring father and showing her what family love is.

She looks over at Logan kneeling by his mother's grave and marvels that even now, at times, Logan thinks he is unworthy of receiving love. Sometimes he acts so grateful that she loves him that it makes her heart ache. The reality is, Logan is easy to love. He is open, loving, protective, funny and sexy. Who wouldn't love him? When they started seeing each other, she was blown away by how intelligent and how funny he was. He was so interesting and so charming! The only negative for her was how much she reacted to his touch, smell and the way he looked and looked at her. Her head was screaming at her to be careful! He had a history as a womanizer and he hung around with guys that hated her and did not treat women respectfully. She doesn't know how it happened but Logan convinced her to listen to her heart and to open herself up to their love. She is forever grateful that she listened to him. She is so lucky to be loved by him.

Watching her husband lose his normal public outer facade is difficult. His years in the media spotlight have taught him how to put up a front. She thinks about the first conversation they had about their relationship. They had been taking it slow and Logan had been attentive and patient with her. One day, she had been walking from one building on campus to a coffee shop near the library so she could have a quick coffee before her shift when she passed two of the Pi Sigs. Typically they noticed her and loudly told her that Logan was just using her and that he told them she was a horrible lay. Before she could answer, Logan spoke up from behind them, "Refresh my memory, when did I ever talk to you two about Veronica?"

The two guys in question turned to see Dick and Logan standing there obviously having overheard what they said to Veronica. Dick looked upset and Logan looked angry; really angry. While the two young men are taking in that Logan heard them talking to his girlfriend, Logan turns to Dick and tells him, "You are in a bad position here. You are going to have to decide if you are going to try and stop me from pounding your two 'brothers' or you are going to help me."

Dick, seeing Logan is serious, says, "Dude, they were just talking."

Shaking his head, Logan quietly answers, "No they were trying to hurt my girlfriend," Turning to look at the two men he adds, "And there is no way I am going to allow that."

Annoyed, Veronica walks around the two young men and over to her boyfriend. Dismissing them, she tells Logan, "I have to be at work in a few minutes and I have already wasted valuable time listening to these two." Wrapping her arm around Logan she adds, "I will buy you a coffee and perhaps a muffin and you can walk me to work. I haven't seen you all day."

Logan looks at the two men for a brief moment and both of them see that Logan is deeply angry at them. He really wants to beat them up. After a long, uncomfortable pause, the tall brunette responds to his girlfriend's prompting and wraps his arm around her, then turns and walks with her towards the coffee shop.

Dick stays behind and looks at his two frat brothers. Shaking his head, Dick says, "I don't get it but Logan really likes Veronica and he is protective of her. If he sees you bothering her again, he will deal with you physically." Looking where the couple is walking away, he adds, "You are lucky that Veronica decided to stop him." Turning back to his friends, he advises, "You need to avoid Veronica or shut up around her. She won't think twice about ruining you if you get on her radar." The two men look uncomfortable. They remember that she doesn't hesitate to taser people who get in her way and she is a PI who can find out secrets about you. Waving at his two friends as he continues on the way to his car, he adds, "See you later."

Veronica walking with Logan towards the coffee shop, squeezes his arm and says, "They aren't important but thank you for protecting me." She can feel the tension in her boyfriend and he suddenly pulls her over to a bench, pulling her down and sitting beside her. Leaning in, he very quietly tells her, "I never talked to those guys about you; about us." He adds worried that she might believe them, "I would never talk about our relationship with anyone. Please tell me you believe me."

Looking at her boyfriend, Veronica sighs and admits, "I do believe you but you have to understand that the Pi Sigs are still upset with me. That's not going to go away."

He nods and shares, "I know and I am not worried whether they understand or approve of us but I am worried that you might be hurt by the stupid shit they say."

Looking at her watch she says, "Logan, this is not the right time to talk about our relationship. I know you don't talk to the Pi Sigs about us. I just need to get some coffee before I go to work."

"OK," he agrees as he stands up, "I will walk you to the Coffee Shack and then to work."

After work, Veronica found Logan waiting for her. He walked with her to her dorm and on the way, they talked. It was a serious conversation with Logan telling her he is genuinely interested in her. Veronica had, in turn, admitting that she was developing feelings for him as well. Looking a little nonplussed, she told him, "You are ruining my plans for my life. I was supposed to go to college, get my degrees and then meet someone I could love."

His face lit up as he correctly read into her complaint that she felt he could be a forever guy for her. He happily wrapped his arms around her and kissed her spinning them a few times in his exuberance. Slightly dizzy and definitely breathless, she had looked up at him entranced by his obvious happiness. That was the moment she knew that she had to give their relationship a real try. She would regret it if she didn't give it her all. She went shopping the next afternoon and bought an outfit for their first time together.

Veronica comes back to Logan's voice calling her. She looks over at his mother's grave site and sees he is waving her over. When she arrives, he introduces them, "Mom, this is my wife Veronica. I told you she is beautiful but she glows when she is pregnant, doesn't she?" He wraps his arm around her and pulls her next to him and continues as he puts his other hand over their baby bump, "And this is David Keith who is set to make his debut on September fourth." A little absently he rubs his hand over their son as he looks around the cemetery. Finally he tells her, "I just wanted you to see that I got away Mom. I am safe and really happy." The tears begin to spill and his voice breaks as he chokes out, "I wish you were still here. I wish our son could have Grandma Lynn to love and spoil him. I miss you." Upset at the pain her husband is feeling, Veronica wraps her arms around him and holds him to her. Logan turns and wraps his arms around her and buries his face in her hair as he quietly cries.

Later, more composed, Logan drives Veronica around town and shows her the home he grew up in. His father sold it and moved to New York after Lynn Echolls died and Logan moved out. He drove her by the Kane mansion, the beach he most often surfed at and a few places the Fab 4 used to hang out. The last stop was at the base of the Coronado Bridge where Logan threw some roses in the water. By his side on the difficult morning is his petite, beautiful, loving, pregnant wife. He is hurting but he is not alone.

They go back to the hotel and order room service. Logan is concerned Veronica has been out all morning in the hot sun and Veronica thinks Logan needs some private time before tonight. While they are eating a late lunch, Logan looks at his phone. He sees that he has eleven missed calls. Scrolling down through the numbers, he sees that Madison, Dick, John and Duncan called. The rest of the calls are from friends or business acquaintances in LA. Logan texts his Neptune friends that he will see them tonight and then starts calling his LA business contacts back. Veronica, finished her lunch, heads inside to use the restroom while Logan talks on his cell phone. She comes out of the bathroom, changes and then heads into the living room just in time to hear Logan answering a call. He is still on the balcony looking out at the view of the city. She quietly listens, waiting for him to finish his call before she encourages him to nap. He is listening and then finally answers, "No, we'll just meet everyone at the dinner tonight. I want Ronnie to rest before we go." There is silence while Logan listens and then annoyed, he tells his best friend, "DK, I am not going to meet Lilly alone." After another short silence, Logan firmly tells him, "I don't need you to cover for me. I will see you at the dinner." Rubbing his forehead, Logan depresses the button to hang up his phone. Sighing, he leans on the railing as he absently gazes at the magnificent view of the city he was so anxious to leave when he graduated from high school.

Veronica dampens down her anger that Duncan would offer to set up alone time for Logan with his sister Lilly. She tells herself to relax. After all, Logan said no and he just looks emotionally exhausted right now. She quietly walks over and puts her hand on his back, getting his attention. Softly she says, "You know what would be perfect right now?"

Turning, he looks at her seeing she has changed into a satin pajama cover to rest. He looks inquiringly at her and then smiles as she tells him, "Couple nap time." He wants her to rest before the evening festivities and he could use a nap as well so Logan allows her to pull him inside and they walk together to the bedroom. Logan pulls off his shirt, undoes his pants and toes off his socks as he pulls his pants off while Veronica pulls the covers back on the bed.

After he settles on the bed, Veronica gets him to roll on his stomach. She sits on his posterior thighs and leans over to the bedside table putting some cream on her hands. Slowly and methodically she gives Logan a relaxing backrub. Laying there, Logan is deeply affected. Veronica is tired from their busy day that included more walking in the hot temperatures than she likes, but she is there for him because she understands that today was an emotional time for him. That is what this relationship is like. They keep care of each other. Lying there, suddenly his day is not so stressful. He misses his mother and today he is thinking about his past more than usual but he is really hopeful for his future. He is a man who is deeply and truly loved.

Two hours later the alarm on Veronica's cell phone rings. She moans a little and reaches over to shut it off. A little awkwardly, she rolls over to look at Logan only to find he has opened his eyes and is watching her. Concerned, she asks him if he feels rested. Lazily, he reaches up to caress her face and tells her, "I feel very relaxed. I had this great back rub."

Immediately she looks pleased at his answer and leans in to kiss him. Just before their lips meet, Veronica tells her man, "I set the alarm for thirty minutes before we have to shower and get ready for tonight."

"You," he says between kisses, "are the best wife ever." Giggling, she leans closer and deepens the kiss.

Later as they ride the elevator down to the ballroom, Logan lifts her small hand, turns it and kisses the back. Meeting her gaze he tells her, "You look incredible tonight. I love how you look in red." His smile grows as her cheeks blush with color. No one at UCLA and now Stanford gets to see shy Veronica and Logan loves that he might be one of the only ones who does. Two years together and she still doesn't believe she is beautiful. He never would have guessed that Veronica Mars was insecure about anything but she was really worried that he would be bored with her sexually. A secret part of him that he will never admit to out loud, is glad that she has only been with a couple of guys and he is thrilled to be the one to teach her how good sex can be. Watching her reactions to his touch and listening to her moans is so arousing for him. Her confidence and comfort with him now; the fact she is so secure physically with them and him means so much to him. He helped her to grow as a woman and it reinforces to him that he is nothing like his father. His father was about bringing his mother down and Logan only wants to make Veronica feel good about herself. Truly she looks really beautiful and sexy tonight. The dress is formfitting, showcasing her toned neck, shoulder and arms and the tight butt that Logan likes so much. It crisscrosses at the front emphasizing her larger than normal breasts and then her baby bump. Veronica seems to favor loose flowing dresses but when Logan saw this dress on her, he encouraged her to buy it for the reunion.

Once he and Veronica got married, Logan opened a joint account for them, got them joint credit cards and slowly got her used to buying what she wanted. He insisted she quit work and just go to college. They bought a house near Stanford and Logan loves it there. It is his first real home. He took some of his mother's more expensive necklace sets into her favorite jewelers and had them redone to suit Veronica's smaller neck and size. Aaron made his mother wear necklaces that were almost garish, because covering his wife in large jewels meant he was successful. Logan just wants the jewelry to suit Veronica and he was really pleased with the results. The jeweler had cut down some of the larger jewels and for those sets, added gold to the extra jewels making a matching bracelet. The result is, on Veronica, the jewel sets are eye catching, expensive looking and really unique but they showcase, not overpower her dress or her small face and neck. Pregnant, she looks radiant tonight and Logan is proud that she married him.

Once inside the large ballroom, they posed together for the picture for the DVD that would be sent to each of them later before Logan escorted Veronica towards the tables where the 09ers were sitting. At one table sat Madison Sinclair and her date, Lilly Kane who brought her latest actor boy toy, Duncan Kane and Meg Manning. It was the exclusive table and they left two chairs for the Logan and his wife. Very comfortable in social situations, Logan pretends he doesn't notice the students are watching to see his meeting with Lilly Kane. He stops at their table and introduces Veronica by stating, "I think you know most everyone Ronnie." Veronica quietly says hello to Duncan, Meg and Madison. Madison proudly introduces her boyfriend as a George Miller, a lawyer in a prominent law firm in Neptune. Logan easily reaches across to shake his hand and introduces himself and Veronica. Logan turns Veronica a little and states, "This is Lilly Kane." Without waiting for Lilly to talk, Logan reaches across to shake her date's hand. Lilly's date immediately stands and shakes Logan's hand, introducing himself and nodding to Veronica.

Before anyone can say anything, Dick Casablancas calls, "Hey Ronnie, Logan. I saved you seats over here."

Logan lets go of Adam's hand and smiles at Dick stating, "Great! We'll be right there." He turns to the table and politely says, "I'm sure we'll get a chance to talk later..." Turning to Veronica, he says loudly enough that the table can hear him, "Let's go sit down. I want to introduce you to the rest of my surfing buddies."

Smiling genuinely, Veronica teases, "Remember I don't speak surfer dude so you might have to interpret for me."

Amused, Logan laughs and promises, "No problem, I will be your interpreter." He puts his hand on her back and directs her between the tables to the table where Dick has saved their chairs. He doesn't look back but instead joins in the loud greetings and man hugs for the guys who couldn't make it yesterday. This is definitely the party section as the guys introduce their girlfriends and Logan is handed a beer. Dick hands a bottled water and a glass with ice and lemon to Veronica saying, "Since you can't have a beer with us, I ordered you a water."

Touched at how Dick is looking out for Logan and including her, she takes it from him and thanks him. To the other students watching, Logan is going to sit with Dick who lived with him in college and was apparently, best man at his wedding. It looks like Dick is comfortable with Logan's wife as well. Sitting around them were most of the 09ers and their spouses, fiancés and dates. Veronica is grateful for the name tags as she doubts she could remember all the people she is introduced to from the surrounding tables. Apparently there was quite a large group of guys who liked to surf. Soon the loud group is telling stories of surfing trips, wipeouts and parties. Veronica leans into Logan content to listen. She is really grateful that Logan is enjoying his conversation with his old surfing buddies. She has heard stories from Logan including most of the guys sitting around them and has concluded that although Logan didn't play a team sport, these guys are like teammates in surfing to him. It is something they all love and shared together.

Veronica looks at Dick who is in his element laughing, talking, teasing, reminiscing with his high school friends. She disliked him when she first met him in college and didn't see he had any real redeeming features. When she and Logan started dating, she imagines he was not happy but she learned that he is totally loyal to Logan and considers him a brother. They finally put aside their differences over a bet in karaoke of all things. The Pi Sigs were challenged in a karaoke contest and were losing. Dick sitting beside Logan was upset and did not want to lose the contest. One of Veronica's friends spoke up telling Dick that if he really wanted to win, he would get Veronica to be his partner on stage. The girls all agreed that Veronica was a great singer so Dick turned to her and asked her to sing with him. Veronica, who did not want to sing in front of the large crowd, was not keen on helping the frat she had an adversarial relationship with and definitely not pleased that her friends sold her out, had initially refused to sing on stage. Dick had sweetened the pot by offering to pay for her and her girlfriends to go for a spa day. Once he named the spa he would send them to, the girls pressured her to sing. Logan was no help as he told her he would love to hear her sing.

When she got up on stage, Dick had picked a very suggestive song and she initially looked like she wanted to strangle him but once the music started, she had thrown herself into the role pretending it was a case and had overcome her embarrassment at the openly sexual lyrics. Dick doesn't have a shy bone in his body and his voice is pleasant but Veronica really sold the performance with her body movements and her really sexy voice. Logan had videotaped their performance and the crowd had yelled, whistled and clapped for the duo. The judges gave them three tens and a standing ovation. Shocked at how good a singer she was , Logan had to shift in his chair to hide his arousal. He noticed a lot of guys looking at her interestedly. To her credit, she had ignored all the whistles and comments and had immediately walked back over to sit beside Logan; cuddling into his side. She knew he was a jealous guy and she was content for guys to know she was taken. Logan had wrapped his arm around her and whispered in her ear how much he liked watching her sing and dance. Now that he knew her better, he could see she was really embarrassed and unlike Dick, did not enjoy the public attention. Veronica helping the frat had diminished some of the animosity between them and it really eased the relationship between Dick and Veronica. True to his word Dick had gratefully paid for her and her three best girl friends to have a spa day at one of the best spas in the city. Although her friends had been excited about going to the exclusive spa, Logan could see Veronica wasn't sure about being pampered. It turns out she enjoyed it a lot more than she thought she would. When he saw her after the spa day, he was pleased that she looked relaxed and happy.

Smiling a little to himself at the memory of Dick and Veronica singing together, Logan looks over at Veronica noting happily that she is comfortable sitting there listening to his high school stories and enjoying the chicken entree she ordered. When dessert comes, he teasingly offers her his dessert stating, "I know you are eating for two." She looks annoyed at his words for a second and then shrugs and takes it from him. The group laughs at the look of surprise on his face when his wife starts eating his dessert. They all know that double chocolate is Logan's favorite cake. He clearly was only trying to tease her and didn't expect her to take his dessert.

Dick laughs and points out, "That is what you get for teasing Ronnie." Logan mock pouts and the group laughs harder when Veronica partially turns from him and continues to eat his dessert while protecting hers on the other side of her plate.

After the dinner, there was a picture show where there were plenty of pictures of Logan and Lilly in all sorts of suggestive poses. It was clear they were a physical couple and the two most popular kids in school. Veronica sat cuddled next to Logan watching the show and ignoring the looks from the other reunion attendees who want to see how she is reacting to the pictures of her husband and his high school girlfriends. They are disappointed because Veronica merely sits quietly close to Logan, listening to the school's reactions to the pictures. Logan has his arm wrapped around her and he is absently rubbing her swollen belly as they watch the pictures together. Occasionally he laughs or cheers when his friends are in the pictures or teachers they all remember. If the 09ers were looking for drama, they aren't going to find it with the Echolls. When the pictures are done, Logan leans in and softly tells his wife that it is sad that she has to see how unsettled he was back then. Smiling genuinely at him she tells him he was handsome and sexy. Snorting he teases, "Even with the blonde tips and puka shell necklace?"

Laughing, she leans up to kiss and him and agrees, "Yes, even then."

Leaning in he puts his forehead to hers and laughs, "You must really love me."

"I do," she smiles as she looks up at her husband.

Happily, the Neptune High reunion has turned into huge party. The DJ is great and Logan is really enjoying visiting with his old classmates. Of course he loves to dance with Veronica so when the music started, he took Veronica out to dance. Even pregnant, she can move to the music. He makes sure he is nowhere near Lilly and her date when the songs end. He wants there to be no way he ends up dancing with Lilly Kane. Fortunately as the man who leads the dance steps, Logan can stay away from Lilly. He dances with the girls at his table and does dance with Madison and Meg but stays away from any of his single classmates looking to do the reunion hookup with him.

Duncan Kane is also doing his duty dances. He carefully dances Veronica around the dance floor. He is unsure why she is looking at him like he is profiling him but when they are across the room from Logan, Veronica looks up at him and quietly tells him, "I overheard your offer to Logan to cover for he and Lilly to have some time alone."

The tall brunette looks uncomfortable and Veronica sweetly continues, "You know your close friendship with Logan has motivated me to want to get closer to Meg and be her wingman." Meeting his gaze she says conversationally, "I have no fashion sense and I don't care about decorating so the only thing I have to bring to the table is my PI skills." Stopping she says brightly, "Oh, while we are over here, I am going to use the bathroom." Duncan dutifully stops and lets go of Veronica. She adds, "By the way, now that I know you believe that lying to me is part of your duty as Logan's friend, you usefulness as a cover is zilch." She waves at him as she walks away and chirps, "Thanks for the dance."

Logan watching from across the dance floor sees the uncomfortable and then the worried look on DK's face and sees the cheery wave his wife gives him as she heads towards the bathrooms. Logan is going to guess that she made their dance together very uncomfortable as only Veronica can do. When DK heads over to the bar, Logan knows that he is correct in his assessment. He watches as Duncan orders a scotch. Dick who was also watching Duncan and Veronica dance claps Logan on the back and comments, "I recognize that pissed off face. I wonder what Duncan did to bring out bitchy Veronica; not that it's hard."

Logan frowns at his best friend and then shrugs. He turns to Dick and comments, "I am sure he deserved it." Smirking he tells his friend, "Her hormones are running amuck. I would avoid irritating her if I were you."

"Good advice," he agrees as he nods his head. Dick turns to Susan and says loudly, "Come on beautiful mother, let's show them how to dance." Laughing at how Dick has not changed, Susan gets up and walks with Dick to the dance floor.

Logan watches as Lilly gathers her posse and heads to the bathroom. It reminds him of high school. Recognizing that Lilly is going to confront Veronica, Logan stands and heads over to meet his wife when she gets out of the bathroom. He thinks about how Lilly is still all about the drama years after high school. In Middle School and High School, he embraced the drama of his life and just went with it. He had already tried to be perfect to impress his father and make his mother love him but he had failed. Lilly with her own parental issues had taught him to just enjoy life and not worry about the consequences. He loved her for that but years later, looking back he sees that how he coped back then was not healthy. It took time away; away from the dark, volatile anger of his father, away from the hopeless desire of his mother to get away and away his desperate need for love and attention from Lilly Kane to see that he had been yearning for stability. Veronica is his rock. He has never had a foundation under him before and it is the most freeing thing he has ever known. Once you have a foundation, a solid foundation under you, you can build without worry that it is going to fall down. Once he grasped that he could build and that it would support him, he learned to trust in himself and he learned to trust in his future. Now he has come to see that he is a work in progress but he is strong and he can help build the family he has always wanted. Logan Echolls is going to be a man who loves his wife and children. He is going to have his own business and he is going to enjoy each day. He finds that this weekend is showing him how grateful he is that he is no longer in the hamster wheel; running and running with no end in mind. He is not worried that Lilly is going to hurt his marriage or his relationship with Veronica; she doesn't have power over his life anymore. Veronica is a strong, intelligent woman who sees and understands the motivations of others. She is not going to allow others to bother her. Lilly and her minions are going to be a short blip on Veronica's radar and god help them, if they try and intimidate Veronica with their entitled, 'I am rich so you have to respect me' attitude.

Veronica, coming out of the cubicle, sees that Lilly Kane is loitering in the bathroom waiting to talk to her. She wonders why Lilly is looking to cause drama over five years after she last saw Logan. Walking without hesitation to an empty sink to wash, Veronica sets her purse down on the counter and starts to wash. Looking in the mirror, she sees that a few of the women are hanging around the plush lounge area in the expensive hotel bathroom. Cynically she wonders if most of them disliked Lilly in High School but were afraid to go against her and she idly wonders if they realize that they are still letting her lead even now. If they aren't part of her high school friends, they are there to see the confrontation between the great Lilly Kane who was Logan's Echolls' high school girlfriend and Logan's wife. Meg is standing off to the side waiting for Lilly. Comfortable with silence and confrontation, Veronica finishes washing and then unhurriedly opens her purse to get out her lipstick. The women watching can see that Veronica is not worried about the fact that Lilly Kane is waiting to talk to her. Just as Veronica finishes applying her lipstick, Lilly walks up to Veronica and says, "Designer clutch, shoes, dress and those are real emeralds in the jewelry you are wearing." Pausing she adds, "I have to hand it to you. You have adapted to being rich quickly." The group falls into its old pattern of Meg looking really uncomfortable and the other 09ers standing snickering in encouragement.

Closing her lipstick and placing it in her bag before she answers, Veronica takes a last look at herself in the mirror before she turns her head to look at Lilly. Without speaking, she looks at Lilly as if she is a specimen and it really annoys the famous actress. Just before Lilly continues, Veronica answers mildly, "It isn't really that hard to be rich. You guys have taken to it like you were born to it." There is a little shocked silence that Veronica would call them out on being wealthy because of an act of birth instead of something they accomplished.

Lilly smirks openly, "You are lucky that I taught Logan everything he knows about sex. He really needed the coaching when we started dating." The girls watching laugh and enjoy Lilly's way of putting Veronica in her place.

Picking up her clutch, Veronica turns and looks at Lilly. It is clear she is not annoyed. In fact, she looks intrigued by her conversation with Lilly. She is not giving any of her own thoughts away as she answers evenly, "Well, it makes sense that all of us reap the rewards of what our partners have learned before they met us. E.R. Braithwaite wrote, 'So long as we learn it doesn't matter who teaches us, does it?" Tucking her bag under her arms, Veronica starts to walk towards the door. The group looks at her in surprise as Logan's wife is really not affected by Lilly's verbal shots.

Undeterred, Lilly says, "Have you had the opportunity to fuck Aaron yet? I would recommend it. He's a step up from Logan."

There are gasps and giggles from the spectators. Tilting her head and looking at Lilly closely, Veronica stops and comments, "Well Lilly, I was really lucky to have a wonderful father growing up so I am not interested in banging an aging, pedophile action star to get attention and feel loved." Veronica takes a few steps and then pauses and adds, "I'm sure you've heard this before from your psychiatrist though." Taking the last few steps, Veronica opens the door and you can hear Lilly angrily call her a bitch as she steps out.

Logan waiting outside hears what Lilly is yelling at his wife. Shaking his head, he inwardly smiles. He almost feels sorry for Lilly thinking she could upset Veronica. It sounds like she learned her lesson the hard way. Looking at his wife closely, he walks over and puts out his arm for her saying, "That's my sugar puss, winning friends where ever you go."

The girls following Veronica out of the bathroom hear Logan's teasing comment and then Veronica's response of, "Honestly Logan, it's sad to watch people who haven't changed from high school. It's been five years and those women are in pack mentality." Shaking her head she finishes, "Unbelievable!"

Amused, he laughs and offers, "Well I want to dance with you more before I take you upstairs and help you relax."

Instantly she feels better and says "That sounds like a good plan to me."

Laughing aloud, Logan wraps his arm around his wife kissing her temple as they walk. When they are away from everyone else, he leads her onto the dance floor as he whispers in her ear, "What did Miss Lilly Kane have to say to you?"

"Later," she tells him relaxing into arms and wrapping one arm around his neck and resting the other hand that is holding her clutch on his chest as they dance to the slow romantic ballad. She drifts to the music feeling at home in his arms. She can't dance as close as she would like with her baby bump between them. Those watching can see Logan's face light up when he feels his child kick. He slides an arm from her back to caress their baby. He leans down and sings in her ear.

Lilly and her crew arrive back in the ballroom and are faced with the sight of Logan dancing closely with his wife looking very content to hold her and caress their baby bump. When the song speeds up, Logan smiles at a couple next to them and they change partners. Georgina dances with Logan laughing as he gently spins her to the music. Wallace dancing with Veronica responds to Logan's unspoken challenge and twirls Veronica away and then back into his arms. The women are amused at the way their men are acting. When the song is over, Logan and Veronica head over to the table where Wallace and Georgia are sitting. They sit down to join the group for a few minutes.

Veronica is excited to be able to talk to Mac again. Before long, they are discussing computer programs and Veronica listens attentively knowing that Mac can teach her more in a few minutes than her professors have taught her all semester. Veronica, when Logan suggests they head back to their table, tells Mac that she wants to come and see her at her work this week. Mac is agreeable and they tentatively agree on Wednesday morning. Veronica says, "After the tour, I will buy you lunch." Mac reminds her she is vegan and Veronica teases, "Well I guess we will have to pick somewhere that can accommodate your veganness and my cravings." Laughing at the made up word, Mac tells her she knows just the place.

Logan, meanwhile, is taking Wallace's number and they agree to call each other and share fatherhood experiences. Logan, looking at his wife, says, "I am totally terrified. We watched the delivery video during class and ..." Shaking his head, he adds a little mournfully, "The woman turned into Linda Blair from the Exorcist. In the end she told her poor husband that he was never going to touch her again."

Wallace laughs out loud and says, "I have heard some horror stories."

"I want to have at least four children so I have to find a way to convince Veronica to let me touch her again after the delivery," Logan tells the amused group sitting at the table. Veronica's exasperation that there is nothing off limits in a conversation with Logan and Logan's obvious unrepentant attitude is funny to watch.

Finally Veronica points out, "I don't have to wait until the baby is born to cut you off."

The guys all jeer and Logan smugly teases, "That is why women have a large sexual appetite while pregnant; so the guy will be convinced to have a second child." Veronica's mouth drops open and she looks at her wayward husband in shock. He raises his hands in defense and adds engagingly, "Just saying." After a pause where the group at the table waits to hear her response, Veronica surprises the group by laughing hard. The table erupts in laughter and Logan takes Veronica's hand and gently plays with it while the group talks. None of them would have ever imagined sitting at a table with Logan Echolls and really enjoying a conversation with him. Away from Neptune, Logan Echolls seems to have changed. Mac watches Logan with his wife and smiles. She really likes Veronica Echolls and is looking forward to having lunch with her this week.

As they walk around the dance floor towards their table and Logan says, "I missed out by not getting to know anyone out of the 09er zip code."

She points out, "You really seemed to hit it off with Wallace."

Nodding Logan says, "I wish we lived closer to them. They are good people."


	4. Chapter 4: Love Rules

**Chapter 4: LoVe Rules**

For the next couple of hours, the reunion is a relaxed time for everyone. There is dancing, drinking and lot of laughter. Dick sitting next to Veronica looks at her belly and is completely thrown by seeing her belly move. A little loudly he tells Logan, "Dude, Ronnie's belly is moving. It's like the movie 'Alien'". The group laughs and Veronica seeing that Dick is really fascinated, takes his hand and gently puts it on her belly. Little David obligingly moves and Dick yells in excitement, "Little Dude kicked me." Logan amused watches and Dick puts his head down and tells the baby, "Little Dude, I am going to teach you how to surf and pick up girls cause your mom has your dad's balls." The guys laugh and Veronica pushes Dick's head away from her son and then surprising them all, the corner of her mouth rises at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. Dick stands up and puts his hand out to Veronica and says, "Let's dance Ronnie. Maybe we can get Little Dude to come out tonight."

Taking his hand she tells him, "Frat boy, I can out dance you even carrying around Little Dude."

The guys at the table hoot and holler, amused at Logan's wife challenging Dick. Dick helps her up and then waves to the dance floor and answers her challenge with an, "After you."

She bends, kicks off her shoes and taunts him with a cute head shake, "Oh it's on!" before she walks towards the dance floor.

Dick following her yells, "I love to watch you waddle." The table laughs as Veronica gives Dick the finger without looking back.

Logan merely takes a drink from his beer and shakes his head. When those two get going, you might as well sit back and watch. It is worth the price of admission. The group at the tables is laughing as they turn to watch and cheer the dance off.

Dick, of course, yells at the DJ that there is a dance off happening. Veronica starts the contest with 'The Twerk" and Dick immediately joins in. The DJ quickly changes the music to accomodate their contest. While Dick is doing his part of the dance, Veronica shanghais some of the dancers around her to join in. Dick easily picks his team and it's on.

Lilly, Duncan and Meg watch in surprise as Veronica and Dick start a dance off. Looking over at Logan, Lilly sees he is having fun watching his wife and friend on the dance floor. She thinks about how now might be the perfect time for her to separate Logan from the pack and get him alone. His wife has been sticking to him like glue, careful to keep her away from her husband. Lilly looks at Logan. He looks even more fit and handsome than he did in high school. She came to this boring reunion to see everyone but especially Logan. She heard from her brother and Meg that he married and is expecting a son. He is supposedly 'happy'. His life sounds boring and Logan is not boring. He will be ripe to want to be with her.

Madison sees Lilly looking at Logan and inwardly smiles. Lilly is going to get Logan and that little undeserving bitch Logan married is going to be humiliated. She gets up and goes over to sit at Logan's table wanting a ringside seat to Lilly's reunion with Logan.

Meanwhile, Logan's buddies watching the dance off have to laugh. Dick has told them that Veronica has a bitchy side and she is well versed in self defense. As she dances, they see that even pregnant, she is fit. She must be pretty physical to keep Logan interested. Logan is definitely the man. He married to a hot blonde and Lilly Kane is here tonight and has made it clear she wants Logan. She is looking super nova in her barely there strapless black dress with the daring cutouts.

While half the dance floor including Dick and Veronica are participating in a dance off, Madison takes the opportunity to start a mini intervention with Logan. She tells him that they have all been his friends for years and they are concerned how his wife is keeping him away from them. Pam mentions how Logan didn't show up at the breakfast at the Grande this morning and how he is not going to the luncheon at the Sinclair's tomorrow. Carrie puts her arm on Logan's and adds, "None of us has even had the chance to really visit with you while you are in Neptune."

Clearly annoyed, Logan pulls his arm away from Carrie's and looks at the group around him. He tells them openly and a little loudly, "It's not Ronnie that doesn't want to see some of you, it's me." When they look at him in surprise, he adds, "The names of the underage girls that were on the video tapes having sex with my father may have been kept out of the press, but I saw the indictment against dear old dad." He looks at Madison, Pam, Erica, Carrie and Jennifer pointedly. He waves his arm as he says clearly, "I don't want anything to do with the sluts on his porn collection." There is a shocked silence as Logan stands, gently puts his hand out to Dick's date who looks really uncomfortable at the interchange between Logan and some of the 09er girls. Logan tells her, "We should go out there and rescue our dates before Dick hurts himself or Ronnie actually goes into labor." A little unsure, she tentatively smiles at him and takes his hand allowing him to pull her to stand. She hasn't been dating Dick long but she has met Logan before. He has been charming and sweet to her so she is not sure what to think about how rude he just was. They walk off without meeting any of the shocked gazes of the people sitting around them.

Logan knows that his father was the adult and took advantage of the easily impressed young girls but they snuck over to his house to have sex with a man they knew was married and was his father. They knew what they were doing was wrong; they did what they wanted and didn't give a thought to his mother or him. What really pissed him off is that they had the nerve to attend his mother's funeral and try to tell him how sorry they were for his loss after being part of the humiliation that drove her to the Coronado Bridge. Now they expect him to forgive and forget. Clearly they don't know him very well.

A few of Logan's surfing buddies smirk and enjoy the scene Logan just caused. This older Logan has mostly been quiet and respectful to everyone. It is nice to see the old Logan appear even for a moment. In reality, most of his closer friends know how crushed Logan was when the news of his father's video collection, his mother's subsequent suicide and then Lilly's video with his father was leaked to the press. Many of them had secretly speculated on which girls in their school were on the videotapes. Logan had never said but he quit speaking to a few of the 09er girls and they were never invited to Logan's parties at the new place he rented part way through senior year.

Lilly sees that some of the 09er girls said something to piss off Logan. Disappointed she watches as Logan escorts Dick's date to apparently join the dance off. Logan walks up behind his wife and puts his hands on her hips and begins to dance with her. She smiles back at him and tries to continue with the new dance when the music changes but Logan just pulls her into his arms. Dick seeing that Veronica has stopped participating in the dance off, loudly declares himself the winner. Knowing that Veronica is going to argue with Dick, Logan leans down and kisses her. Veronica stiffens initially but quickly decides that kissing her handsome husband is more important than beating Dick in the dance off. Besides, she was getting tired. It has been a busy day and Logan is rescuing her. She breaks the kiss, turns to face her husband wrapping her arms around his neck instinctively following his lead to move slowly to the music. Logan ignores the rest of the dance off and holds his wife closely moving to their own beat. Leaning down, he gently kisses her forehead, temple and finally her lips as they dance. To those watching, it is clear that Logan is very taken with his wife. Dick's date stops his part of the battle with Veronica by stepping closer and wrapping her arms around him. Getting his full attention, she leans up and talks quietly to him probably telling him what just happened at the table.

After one slow dance, Logan takes Veronica back to their table. He knows some exercise is good for her but she walked a lot today with him and he wants her to rest at their table for a while. When he arrives there, he sees Lilly is sitting there waiting for them. Her date is on the dance floor enjoying the single women admirers. Lilly smiles at Logan engagingly knowing that he finds her flirty smile hard to resist. She is surprised when he frowns at her clearly annoyed that she is sitting at his table. He walks Veronica over to the other side of the table and assists her to sit. Then he sits beside her. Before Lilly can talk, Logan casually asks as if she is just another one of his classmates, "So how have you been Lilly?" He puts his arm over the back of Veronica's chair and gently wraps his arm around her as they sit comfortably and look across the table.

Smirking she answers, "Oh you know, living the life."

"Good," he answers calmly. "We saw 'A Taste of Italy' last year. You were good in it Lil."

Actually a little pleased that he enjoyed her movie, Lilly tells him, "I like acting."

Nodding he answers easily, "I'm glad for you. I hope it's everything you wanted."

"Let's go somewhere private where we can talk," she suggests.

A little incredulous that she would think he would go somewhere to be alone with her, he quietly but firmly continues talking to her about her career, "So do you have another film coming out this year?"

"No," she tells him a little annoyed he would ignore her invititation, "I will be in LA for the next few months."

Nodding, Logan tells her, "I bet your parents are excited that they will get to see more of you now you are back in the States."

Tossing her hair back, she looks only at Logan, ignoring Veronica. She gives him a coy look and tells him meaningfully, "You should come and see me in LA. It would give us a chance to catch up. I've missed you."

Pausing for a few seconds as he really looks at her, Logan quietly says, "Lilly, if you want an Echolls who is interested in the Hollywood lifestyle, well then try Trina or dear old dad." Meeting her gaze, he says meaningfully, "I'm out."

Now frowning, she says, "I know you Logan." Waving at him she adds, "This life is not you."

Snorting he retorts, "I have always wanted out. If you'd been paying attention, you would have known that."

Lilly, sure of her old lover and the hold she had over him, says, "You know our plan was to sow our wild oats and then get married." Waving her hand dismissively at Veronica, Lilly tells him, "You should have waited for me." She smiles victoriously as Logan abruptly stands and walks around the table towards her. She is dismayed when he bends down, picks up his wife's shoes and then stands and walks back around the table to where Veronica has remained sitting. Without saying another word, he bends down and helps her put them on her tiny feet. Lilly's confident facade falters as she watches her former boyfriend. Standing back up, he takes Veronica's hand and gently pulls her up to stand beside him. Turning to Lilly he tells her quietly but firmly, "The day I found out you fucked my father, our relationship was over. The day you did your first interview and talked about me, we were done as friends. Have a good life Lilly Kane."

The people hanging around to listen are shocked and many gasps can be heard. Logan gently turns Veronica and escorts her over to the bar to get her a fresh drink. Meg and Duncan sitting at the table see in the interaction between Lilly and Logan. Although they can't hear what is being said, it is really clear that Logan is not interesting in Lilly anymore. Duncan knows his sister well and can see she is not happy at what Logan said to her. DK imagines that Logan told her that he couldn't forgive her for having sex with his father. Being with this Veronica has really changed Logan. He is not the Logan everyone remembers. First Lilly and his parents were not invited to Logan's wedding, then this Veronica threatens to expose his affairs to Meg and now Logan has openly been rude to Lilly. His father is right; Logan should be warned about the affect Veronica is having on him. He can't imagine why Logan is so in love with Veronica. She doesn't understand their lifestyle and how things work for the wealthy. She actually thinks she is better than them.

Meg is a little shocked that Logan has been openly rude to Lilly. She knows Lilly came tonight to reconnect with Logan and Lilly usually gets what she wants. Unlike her fiance and best friend, Meg can understand Logan's hurt and anger with Lilly. Standing in the bathroom after Veronica left, Meg listened to Lilly and the other 09er girls talk negatively about Veronica . The thing is, Meg had tried to warn Lilly not to underestimate Logan's wife who is taking her degree in psychiatry and planning to be a profiler for the FBI but Lilly was dismissive, not concerned that Veronica was any match for her. What impressed Meg the most was Veronica left the bathroom truly not concerned about what Lilly or anyone thought of her. Meg wishes she could be more like that. She seems to need to please everyone and always ends up feeling like she didn't please anyone. When Meg looked at Veronica after Logan talked to Lilly, she expected her to have a triumphant look on her face but she just looked sad for Lilly.

Veronica is a real enigma to Meg. She doesn't care what people think of her and she doesn't seem to be jealous of Lilly. Meg talks at least weekly to Logan and he loves to talk about how much he loves Veronica and how much he loves their life together. Logan has told Meg how Veronica absolutely hates to shop and dresses very casually most of the time. He ended up getting one of his mother's favorite designers to send over clothes and accessories for more formal functions. Meg was also shocked at how Veronica seems to have no respect for the Kane name. It is a foreign concept for Meg as, over the years she has seen that most people are impressed with and try to please the wealthy and powerful Kane family. When Duncan asked Logan why his parents weren't invited to the wedding, Logan reluctantly confided that Veronica absolutely refused to have them there. Meg thinks about how she was sitting there when Duncan told his parents what Logan told him about Veronica's belief that they knew about Logan's abuse and did nothing. Watching she could see that Veronica was correct, they did know Logan was being physically abused. When Jake looked at her, she saw that he knew about her and her sister's treatment as well. She thinks about all the beatings they let Logan take and she thinks about how traumatized her little sister is. She wonders how someone as powerful as Jake Kane could sit and do nothing. She sits and listens to Jake tell Duncan that Logan should not be influenced by his fiancé and he will call and talk to Logan. He looks at Meg and Duncan telling them that as his best friends, they should warn him about Veronica. Jake had acted like there was something wrong with Veronica and Meg could see that none of the Kanes felt they had done anything wrong. Even though Duncan and his parents pressured her to talk to Logan about Veronica's negative influence on him, Meg found she couldn't.

The changes she sees in Logan have been positive. When Meg talks to Logan, she sees that he is much more confident in himself. He firmly told Duncan and Meg that it was his decision that Lilly was not invited to his wedding and that his father would be turned away if he showed up. Meeting his best friends' gazes, he said, "I am starting fresh with Veronica. Our wedding is about our commitment to each other and having only the people who genuinely care about us there to witness it." The Logan that didn't think he would ever amount to anything, would travel the world and blow his trust fund is gone. This Logan has started his own business and is doing well with it. He is used to making decisions and dealing with all the issues of running his own company. It is weird to see him so directed. Duncan sees Logan as subservient to Veronica but Meg thinks that Logan is the one pushing his agenda in their relationship. He is the one who wanted to get engaged quickly and then he pushed Veronica to set the wedding date. Now he is the one who wanted to start their family early and he is the one who is set on having at least four children. Logan's new found confidence has led him to be more challenging with Duncan and with her when they talk. She knows Duncan doesn't appreciate that Logan calls him out when he makes a decision that might upset her. Plus Logan has been letting her know when they talk that she should not be putting up with some of the things Lilly, Duncan and their parents say and do to her. Meg is not sure how to deal with this new Logan. He is a little disconcerting to be around. What she does know is that Logan is her true friend. She knows he will be there if she needs him. It is a good feeling to have. She watches Logan and Veronica as they walk towards the bar.

On the way to get Veronica a drink of water, the Echolls' stop to answer greetings from a group of his classmates who comment on the dance off. Veronica answers their teasing, "Can you believe Dick actually thinks he won?"

The group laughs and Logan leans in to tell them, "I know I enjoyed watching her do the twist the best." Veronica playfully smacks his arm and there is general laughter at Logan's teasing. He briefly talks to everyone finding out what they have all been doing since graduation. After a few minutes he excuses them and they head to the bar. When they return, Lilly is out dancing very suggestively with her latest date. Logan and Veronica sit and talk with the group for a while longer and then Logan and Veronica head upstairs after Logan makes arrangements to meet the guys to go surfing the next morning. He is excited about going surfing with his buddies again. He has a lot of good memories out on the water with them.

Once they are in their room, Veronica orders a snack and they sit on the balcony and talk. Veronica gives Logan an abbreviated overview of her talk with Lilly. Logan laughs out loud when he hears that Veronica called her out on her daddy issues. He is annoyed but not surprised, that Meg stood there and let Lilly talk negatively to Veronica.

Shaking her head, Veronica tells him that Meg hides it well but she is really beaten down. Understanding Veronica's concerns, Logan thinks that he might have to have a talk with Duncan about how he treats Meg. Looking at Veronica, he asks, "So why did Duncan need a drink after talking to you on the dance floor?"

Looking innocent, Veronica tells him, "I don't really know."

Giving her a wry look, he tells her, "Nice try V. DK talked to me before we left. He is concerned that you are going to try and break up his relationship with Meg. He wants me to talk sense into you."

When Veronica doesn't seem to have anything else to say, Logan gently caresses her cheek with his thumb as he cups the side of her head with his hand. Meeting her gaze he questions, "You overheard my telephone conversation with DK before we napped."

Nodding slowly, she keeps his gaze and confirms, "I did."

For a few moments he continues to caress her soft skin and then he continues, "You know I would never deceive you about other women?"

Tilting her head she questions, "I trust you Logan, you know that." Pausing to decide how to word her thoughts, she finally shares, "I get frustrated with people who know what they are doing is going to ultimately hurt the person they profess to love but choose to be selfish anyways." Sighing she turns and gently kisses his palm before she looks back at him and adds, "I think Meg is a person that could be in a real loving relationship but her childhood made her feel like she is weak and helpless. She won't demand better for herself." Finishing baldly, "She will need you to support her someday."

His eyes widen as he looks at her sad face. She is really going to be a great profiler. He has never told her about Meg's strict parents or his suspicions about how her parents treated her and her sisters. She just seems to be able to read people. He sucks in a breath and lets it out slowly. Veronica thinks that DK is really going to hurt Meg. He is really unsure what to say. His view of his best friend has been of a good, steady guy who is destined for greatness. Logan saw himself as the fuck up; the wild guy destined for nothing. To have Veronica think that Jake Kane and Duncan Kane are not good men is just mind boggling for him. He comes back to her voice as she admits a little shamefully, "I shouldn't have confronted him but I guess I just wanted him to have to think about the consequences of his actions even if it was just for a second. He is used to his friends all backing him up. He is not sure of me."

Logan looks at her and sees that she is not being vindictive; she merely feels badly for Meg. A little discouraged, she asks, "Did you reassure him that he will be able to continue to fool around on the woman he loves without my interference?"

"Well," Logan tells her, "I did tell him you wouldn't interfere but I was clear that Meg was my friend too and I didn't want her to be hurt. I mentioned that as a friend I would tell either of them if I knew of any wrongdoing."

She nods and says, "I really hope that you don't have to make a choice in the future."

Leaning down, he kisses her and then says, "Me too."

Logan gets up early in the morning leaving Veronica to sleep in the soft bed. She looks like an angel sleeping; so innocent and so beautiful. This weekend has prompted Logan to think about his past. As he gets ready for the morning, he remembers how his relationship with Veronica seemed to be moving along very slowly at first. Then after he overheard the two frat guys telling her that he was using her, they talked, really talked about what they wanted from their relationship. The barriers seemed to be gone after their talk. He came home from class one afternoon to find Veronica had cooked for him. She was wearing a sweater, jeans and an apron. Logan took a moment to revel in the idea of coming home to Veronica cooking supper for him. Music was playing, the house smelt wonderful and it felt more like a home. To Logan's surprise, Veronica went upstairs after they cleaned up dinner. After she was up there a few minutes, she called him. When he arrived in his room, she was there in a deep pink teddy. His breath caught in his chest. She looked innocent and sexy. He is not sure how a woman can look both but she did. It filled him with joy that she was ready to physically be with him and trust him with her body. He knew what a big step that was for her. He walked over to her, ready to show her what it could be like between them. After that night, their relationship picked up speed because it wasn't just him that wanted their relationship to work; Veronica was now trusted him and was committed to them. They learned that when both of them were focused on something, they were a really good team.

Once he learned what it was like to be in a true and loving relationship, he wasn't willing to waste anymore time apart from her. He immediately bought her a desk and state of the art computer to use at his house. He made sure his housekeeper put any of her clothes that she washed in his closet and had her favorite foods available in his house. It wasn't long before she spent most of her free time at his place. Soon after that he bought her a ring and asked her to marry him. She felt it was too soon to be engaged but he was sure and told her that he had dated enough to know that their relationship was the real deal. She agreed to be engaged but felt they should wait until they were finished college to get married. In his usual 'bull in a china shop' way, he decided that they should get married just after Christmas because her father, friends, Dick, Duncan and Meg would all be able to make their wedding. He told her they could decide what they wanted and he would make it happen; she could just work and study. After they were married, he immediately paid off her student loans, paid for her last semester at UCLA, bought her a new car, got her to quit working at the library and to not take as many cases for Mars Investigations. He comes out of the bathroom and smiles as he sees she has pulled his pillow over to cuddle it. The first time he came home and found her wearing one of his t shirts and cuddling his pillow, he felt a lurch in his stomach; just knowing she liked the smell of him near her when he wasn't there meant so much to him.

Thinking of their wedding reminds him of Veronica's father. He had been a little horrified that his precious, perfect daughter was dating Logan Echolls and then even more unnerved by how fast Logan wanted the relationship to progress. Not that Logan blamed him. He is sure that when Mr. Mars looked into his background, he was not pleased at some of the stunts he pulled as a teenager and of course his upbringing. However Logan thinks that his excitement at dating Veronica and his strong belief in her relaxed her father somewhat. Now they get along pretty well. He likes talking to his father in law and he likes that he is open to answering Logan's questions about being a parent. Veronica's dad keeps tabs on his father for him and Logan thinks that Mr. Mars may have had a talk with Aaron about the perils of attempting to contact Logan or Veronica because his father has made no attempt to include him in his life and does not talk to him to the press anymore. Logan has never had an authority figure like Mr. Mars on his side and although he is an adult and can look after himself, he has to admit it is really nice to have a strong man like Veronica's dad protect him. Now that he has had time to adjust, Keith Mars is very excited about becoming a grandfather. He has plans for David to be a shortstop for the Padres.

As he watches Veronica sleep, her hand goes to her baby bump and he knows that David must be moving around. He thinks about how after graduation, he started talking about starting their family and Veronica was not as enthused. He had just started his business and she was accepted into Stanford. They had just moved to a new home and she wanted to enjoy the rest of the summer before she started school. She thought she would finish school, get a job and then they could think about having children. Logan though wanted a large family and he wanted to start young. He felt she could have one year towards her Master's degree and then could take courses part time while they were both home with their children. She could finish her PHD while their children were young and start working full time once they went to school. Veronica, seeing his real desire to have a big family, agreed to have one year full time at Stanford and then go part time. They got pregnant quickly and the timing was good as Veronica was able to finish in May with her usual superior grades and now she has some time off to enjoy the summer before David is born. The plan is for her to take the fall session off and start taking a course in the Spring. It just feels right to be part of the Mars family and to be having a family of his own. He looks at the clock on the bedside table and decides he should get moving if he is going to meet the guys in a half hour.

Logan enjoys surfing with his friends. He knows that he won't have as much time to surf while his children are young but he has already bought David a board and he can't wait to start teaching him how to surf. He takes the requisite teasing about how he shut Lilly down and his wife owns him with good grace. He has grown to see that he doesn't need the drama anymore. He always wondered what it was like to live an ordinary life and he finds that it is as great as he thought it would be.

As they drive towards home, Veronica texts Mac and reminds her that she will see her before lunch on Wednesday. She adds, 'Do we need to make a reservation at the vegan/craving restaurant?' Logan sees her texting and raises an eyebrow in question. She tells him, "I am reminding Mac of our lunch date on Wednesday."

Smiling Logan comments, "You two really seemed to hit it off."

Nodding she agrees, "I like her." Meeting his gaze for a few moments, she adds. "Makes the whole reunion thing worthwhile."

Logan shares, "I was thinking that we should try and visit Wallace and Georgia after their daughter is born."

Nodding she tells him, "That sound great!"

He looks at her for a second before he looks back at the road. It was enough for her to see his sincerity as he says, "Thank you for coming to the reunion with me. I think we got everything accomplished we needed to."

Pleased she agrees, "Good but know that even though I didn't want to go to my high school reunion, I will be expecting payment back for these three days."

Pouting a little he asks, "Isn't the fact you really supported me enough?"

"No," she immediately tells him, "I will be reminding you when David wakes us up in the night what a supportive wife I am."

Amused and unsurprised that she will use this weekend to her advantage, he agrees, "I will definitely pay you back."

Touched at how wonderful he is and how much he has faced this weekend, she tells him, "I know you will. You are the best husband and David is so lucky to have you as his father."

"I love our life," he tells her as he reaches over to take her hand. He gives it a gentle squeeze before he adds, "I can't wait until David joins us."

She smiles sweetly at him and agrees, "Me neither."

As he leaves the city behind him that had so many memories both good and bad, he feels his wife squeeze his hand before she lets go of him to recline her seat a little more, trying to find a comfortable position to relax. He glances at the clock on the dash of his expensive Lexis and sees that they will be home around supper. He will make her the mac and cheese she seems to be craving and he will try and sneak in some vegetables. Logan Echolls smiles a little as he thinks about how today is just another ordinary day with Veronica. Nothing has really changed but he feels lighter. Maybe this is what closure is like; this lightness inside and the feeling that the future is whatever you make it to be.


End file.
